Fight for the Lost
by thatgirlwiththe
Summary: Begins in the last quarter of the suicide mission and continues forward. Revolves around the growing relationship between Commander Shepard and Jack. Rated M for violence,language,and adult situations. Miranda/F!OC side-story.
1. The End Run

_Disclaimer: The Mass effect universe and everything in it belongs to Bioware. _

_A/N: Welcome to my very first attempt at writing fan fiction. For the first two chapters I've used a lot of the dialog Bioware put into the game so I can establish some sort of ground work for my Commander Shepard. A few things before you begin reading this rather long fan fiction:_

_1.) My story begins directly after Shepard destroys the Human Reaper. My Shepard is a Paragade. He's a good man but does what has to be done to ensure the mission succeeds. _

_2.) I plan to be working the Jack relationship __slowly__. I don't feel her character is one that was ever meant to be rushed into._

_3.) This is rated M for language, violence, and adult situations. There will eventually be sexual content, but not until much further in. I think love scenes are important, but my story will most definitely not revolve around them. So if you're lookin' for a slash fic...hit that back button. _

_4.) Lastly, I welcome and would absolutely love to hear feedback and constructive criticism for each chapter. When I finish this fiction I would like to come back and rewrite the first fifteen chapters. Since putting this story out there I think I've grown as a writer and a lot of things need to be fixed. So, your input is important so I can try and further myself as an author._

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**Fan fiction Navigator**

Story Arc #1: (Jack and Shepard) Chapters 1-15.

Story Arc #2: (Original Character and Miranda) Chapters 15-30; Introduction to O.C in chapter 9.

Story Arc #3: (To be Announced...)

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[One: The End Run]

"_We did it", Shepard heard himself say. Their battle was over, his job was done. He had stopped the Harbingers plans, the reaper was destroyed, and the human colonies were safe… or at least for a time coming. And now all that was left was blackness and peace. _

_But then…something struck him. Pain._

A sharp pain stung his left ribs and Shepard groaned, blinking away the blackness and willing the light to shine once again in his eyes. He could feel something heavy on him. Whatever it was, it was pushing him down into the ground and making it hard to breathe. With a loud grumble he indicated his discomfort as he pushed himself up with two hands, balancing the large object with his back and on the top of his shoulders until he could find ground with his feet. With a final heave, he placed the palms of his hands flat on its surface and tossed it to the side. It was part of the collector base.

He kneeled there for a small moment, catching his breath and taking this chance to view his surroundings. He was on what seemed to be a damaged platform. To one side of it was a great, deep, and black abyss, and to the other, what seemed to be the longest stretch of a Collector built hallway. But he _could_ see where it ended: There was an incline at the end of it all…though it looked to lead nowhere.

No time to worry about that now. There was a more pressing matter at hand.

"_We're still here..."_

It hit Shepard distinctly then as he thought to himself. It was not just _him_ there in the Collectors base. He remembered he still had two of his crew down there with him when shit had hit the fan and parts of the base interior fell onto them.

He stood up quickly, eyes frantically searching the platform around him. He saw a crew member at the very edge. Their right arm was dangling over the side and their body was literally half an inch away from their fall. The Commander sprang into action, quickly coming to their aid and moving the lightly weighted body back to a distance that was more comfortable for him. He kneeled over her, turning her onto her back and lightly shaking the passed out form.

It was enough to stir the woman from unconsciousness. Miranda Lawson's eyes blinked open.

Shepard could see her mind racing at a thousand miles per minute as she tried to figure out what had just happened and where she was. Helping her up onto her feet, Shepard offered a single pat on her shoulder, and then turned to scan the remaining of the platform for his other squad mate.

His mind began to think the worse when he couldn't openly spot his second team member among the rubble and ruin, but then something caught the attention of his eye: It was white fabric underneath a smaller part of fallen Collector ship. "_Found you,"_ Shepard thought as he ran over, grasping the part and lifting with his legs. He casually tossed it aside and knelt to check on the state of his comrade. Mordin was alright. Grabbing him by the elbow, it only took a second to help him to his feet.

The three gathered in the middle of the platform when Shepard suddenly heard a crackling in his ear. Mordin dusted himself off before offhandedly adding, "Killed human reaper," he inhaled sharply. "Will look good on biography."

Shepard waved him to be silent.

"…c…der…om in!...Sh…rd…d…ou…read!" The commander took a step, a finger altering his earpiece in an attempt to fix his comms system.

"_Come on. Come on,"_ he thought, brow furrowing while he adjusted assorted settings and volumes.

"Commander! Come on Shepard, don't leave me hanging! Do you copy?"

It was Joker.

A small, quick smile came to Shepard's face when he realized his comms system was still up and running in a semi-decent condition. There was a chance to get them off this base after all. And he knew what that meant: It was time to get back to business.

"I'm here, Joker. Did the Ground Team make it?"

Joker's voice held a tremendous sound of relief when he heard his commander. "Good to hear your voice, Commander. All survivors are on board; we're just waiting for you! I've got you on my locater. The ship is at the far end of the stretch directly in front of you, I'll upload the coordinates to your hard-suit just in case. It's the closest I could get."

"Got it. We're on our way."

Shepard looked to his team then with a firm nod turned to begin their journey through the last obstacle they'd have to face. As they entered through the large walkway they were greeted by three vastly sized seeker swarms.

"GO!" was the only thing Shepard could yell as the three sprang to life, legs and arms pumping towards their destination. In a vain attempt to slow the swarms and allow time for his team to reach the ship, Shepard turned to face the Seekers, pistol in hand and firing violently into the black clouds. They seemed to dissipate for the briefest of moments before quickly reassembling into an even darker shade of impeding demise.

A deep, clear voice boomed and echoed throughout the crumbling base as a more massive swarm turned the corner to greet Shepard. He quickly turned on the balls of his feet and sprinted. "**Human. You've changed **_**nothing. **_** Your species has the attention of those infinitely ****your**** greater**_**." **_Shepard could hear his heart booming inside his ears, could feel the hot blood pumping through his veins, could feel his lungs aching for release and calm, and could feel the sweat dripping off his forehead from within his helmet's restriction. **"Those which you know as Reapers are your salvation through destruction," **the voice continued its taunts as he and his team turned the last corner. Three Collectors were there and began to charge with gun locked and loaded and aim in sight. They fired: repeatedly.

But then Shepard saw it. There she was! The Normandy! And there was Joker opening the entrance, gun in hand and determination on face. He fired back just as fiercely.

Shepard could see the incline he noticed earlier right up ahead. Mordin was already hopping into the ship and Miranda was near the peak about to make her jump as well. A large piece of the Collector base plummeted down towards them, but thankfully just missed both his ship and his fleeing crew.

"_They're safe. They made it!" _Only two things ever mattered to the notorious Commander John Shepard while on the job: Getting the mission done and ensuring the safety of his crew and squad.

He could hear the base begin to crumble around and above him. He could hear as hot rounds from assault rifles and pistols flew past his body in both direction. His thighs felt blazing hot as he got halfway up the incline. Breathing was becoming harder to do; even with all his military training and the rewiring from the Lazarus Project John could feel the weariness in his muscles and bones.

Then it happened: A tremendous screeching noise came from above. Shepard raised his eyes towards the offending sound to witness a humongous piece of metal come flying down and crash into his only escape route. The force and sheer weight of the object caused the last remaining platform to plummet to the deep and dark depths below. Whatever glimmer Shepard still held in his eyes began to dim as he knew there was no possible way he could ever make that jump.

But then…he saw _her_, and everything became slow motion.

Jack came rushing through the entrance hall of the Normandy and abruptly stopped in the doorway. She was clutching the frame as she looked out and onto the scene. Shepard, _her Shepard,_ was under fire. She could see what little space he had left to run and she could most definitely see the gap in which he would have to jump.

John could see her face clearly; that beautiful, chiseled jaw line, those red, plump lips, and those big, hazel, expressive eyes. Her face was a face he had burned into his memory. Oh, how he knew it so well. But…then he noticed something he'd never seen on her face before: fear.

Jack, the 'badass' he'd developed such strong feelings for. The Jack he'd only begun to know and wanted to know _more of…_was _scared_.

Shepard's eyelids closed for the briefest of moments. He could see it:

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Work was starting to pile up so it was only wise to be working late that night. It was the evening before their suicide mission and he _had _to finish going over every detail of his plan. It was all laid out. He was ready. Throughout their mission he'd made sure everyone was well equipped. He had saved up his credits and purchased the best upgrades and gear there was to offer his crew, as well as acquired and applied all known upgrades to his ship. He'd also taken time aside to help each and every member settle their past circumstances in order to ensure full focus on the up and coming mission. He had done all he could. The rest was up to the team as a whole and the leadership skills he had to offer.

Shepard placed his data pad down onto his desk and exhaled heavily, rubbing his eyes then the back of his neck.

"…Shepard," he heard. That voice was known all too well, however there was a certain level of surprise to hear the newly found gentleness in it. He turned around to face her, a small smile on his lips.

"I wasn't expecting you, Jack."

He watched as she came up close to him, studying her carefully as she moved his way. With Jack you never knew if she was going to kiss your lips swollen or smack you in the head with a biotic punch. But something was different about her right now: it was a difference in her eyes and in her attitude.

Jack looked into his baby blues for the briefest of moments before averting them. She looked at Shepard's clothes, the floor, and his desk – everywhere except back to where they started. "I was thinking about you…and…maybe you're right. That…that I need…" She turned away, her eyes fixed to the floor of his cabin.

Shepard looked onto her with the softest of gazes. Ever since he saved her from that damn cryo-prison they'd talk _almost_ every day or at least when she'd allow it. He remembered some days he would get half way down the stairs to the base of the ship only to hear her say "I'm done talking" ,which would make him turn right around and go right back up to where he came from.

It wasn't easy liking Jack. Hell, he had even paraphrased that word for word one time. She never made it easy. There wasn't a single part of the woman that wasn't complicated. Jack was tough as nails but had damn good reason to be in his eyes. Life is a bitch, but he liked to think that just _maybe_…he was getting under her skin.

Slowly Shepard reached up, testing the boundaries she gave him. When he noticed she didn't budge, he reached in and softly cupped the left side of her face, "Hey…it's alright. No more questions."

Jack leaned into his hand for the briefest of moments before closing the gap and grasping him in a tight embrace. She rested her head on his broad left shoulder, letting warm tears fall from her eyes, the thick mascara and eyeliner she casually wore leaving dark streaks on the trail they made.

Shepard gently swayed her left to right as they hugged, hoping the action would have a calming effect on her. His larger hands ran up and down her back slowly, easing the tension that built up in her muscles. Jack reached up and clasped her arms around his neck as Shepard softly lifted her from the ground, her thighs wrapping around his waist.

He made his way towards the bed that was close by. Slowly and as softly as he could, he lowered her down onto the mattress. Jack let him caress and handle her body as she was lowered. The mattress was cool against her heated skin as she lay there, arms resting above her head and legs still wrapped around Shepard.

John adjusted himself as he hovered above her, politely holding himself up with his arms. He was a bit taken back by the sight below him: there she was in all of her beautiful glory, tears coming from the hazel eyes which were staring straight back at him in their vulnerability.

Shepard lowered himself on top of her, gliding his left hand along her arm so that their fingers intertwined tightly. Blue eyes traced over her features as he descended. She was stunning alright. This was the night Shepard committed her face to memory:

Full lips.

Gorgeous, dark hazel eyes.

A beautiful complexion; skin smooth and warm.

The cutest little scar you'd ever seen on her upper lip.

And he couldn't help notice the ever so lightly colored freckles across her nose and the cheeks. Had she always had those?

After the delicate observation his lips could finally decent and for the first time meet hers. There was a small shock when their lips first met. Whether it was a small burst of biotic power, or just in his head – he'll never know. The kiss was thick was emotion but chaste all the same. There was no tongue used, there were no hands wandering in and over sensitive areas, there was just Shepard and Jack together in thought and in the intimacy of the moment. And what's even better? Their lips just seemed to _fit_.

"_I could do this all day,"_ Shepard thought as he melted into her. But he knew better. She was in no condition for anything more than this. No sex. No relationship. Not like this. And most definitely not yet. He softly broke the kiss and looked down onto her. Slowly he reached underneath her back and rolled onto his, taking her with him and laying her down onto his chest. Jack gasped at being handled, but let him none-the-less. She could always kick his ass later when her mood called for it.

She reached her arm around his stomach and grasped the material of his clothing around his rib section, clasping tightly. The gesture was small but greatly showed Shepard that neither she nor _he_ was going anywhere else that night. Shepard wrapped his arm around her and held her to him snugly. His free hand reached for his comforter and covered the pair halfway.

He could feel Jacks breathing against his body. Could feel her tummy rise and fall as the biotic slowly calmed. John looked over his chest to observe her. Her eyes were closed and she appeared to have stopped crying. Slowly he brought his lips to the top of her head and planted the gentlest of kisses.

She grumbled under her breath, clearly not asleep, "You better not die. So don't be a pussy out there tomorrow. Kay', Shepard?"

John let out a chuckle and plopped his head back down onto his pillow. Yep. She was okay now.

Jack squeezed his midsection a little too tightly. "_Okay_, Shepard?"

"Yeah, I got it—I actually put that on my check list just for you. It's on my data pad over there. 'Don't be a pussy, Shepard'," he playfully mocked, forming a checkmark in the air with his index finger.

Jack let her squeeze on him relax but tilted her head to look up at him with a raised eyebrow, "Did anyone ever tell you that your jokes are just so damn …._terrible_?"

Shepard sighed, a wide smile on his lips as he just held onto her firmly. "What would you say if I said that I get that all the time?"

"I'd fuckin' believe it, that's what."

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John's eyes snapped open.

Shepard could feel the weight of his armor, and the heaviness in his breath. He was so damn tired. Blurry thoughts and memories flooded through him as he continued his quite literal uphill battle: one clear distinct thought echoing loudly in his mind. "Don't. Be. A Pussy, Shepard. You promised."

John took off his helmet, tossing it to the side as he ran and hearing it clank and clink until it fell over into the abyss. Then he threw his gloves. He hit his emergency evacuation code on his omni-tool, stumbling as he did so, but causing a loud hiss and his gears' tight air locked seals to come undone allowing his protective torso to fall off around him.

There! He could breathe, and he most definitely felt lighter. With only a few more feet left to go, Shepard had a new determination blazing within him. He was not going to let his crew down— not going to let _Jack_ down.

Legs pumping and lungs on fire Shepard neared the peak of the incline. With one last and mighty step he pushed himself off the edge and into the air.

Miranda yelled for further cover fire, watching as Shepard stripped himself of the extra weight and make the all balls out leap of faith towards his safety. Both she and Joker pelted enemy collectors with their pistols and rifles, while the pissed off and very worried Jack shot out the bright, blue spheres of biotic energy from her clenched fists.

This was it. _Make it or break it,_ Shepard thought. He reached out his arms out in a final act of desperation to be greeted with the Normandy's entrance smashing into his already hurting ribs. He gasped out in pain as his arms clung for life against the door frame. Quickly both Miranda and Jack helped the Commander into the ship as Joker smashed the Red button inside sealing the door tightly shut behind him.

"Get us the hell outta' here, EDI!" Joker shouted out at the ships A.I.

"Please specify a destination, Mr. Moreau."

"Anywhere but here!"

"Very well. Brace for the ships Mass Accelerators."

With a noticeable kick in the engine, all onboard braced for the oncoming jolt. The Normandy was gone with a flash, behind them a huge ball of yellow and orange energy exploding out and into the atmosphere.

The enemy base had been destroyed, and they had succeeded.

They survived.

Miranda, Joker, Shepard, Jack, and Mordin all collapsed in the ships main entrance. They sat in silence, breathing heavily but slowly calming down. Soon, they were joined by the others. Samara, Thane, Tali, Legion, Grunt, Garrus, Zaheed, Kasumi and Jacob had all crowded into the hallway. Some leaned against the wall, and some stood arms crossed looking over the damage done just at the entrance of the ship. But mostly…they were looking at Shepard.

Shepard let his head rest against the wall behind him for a moment before he heard EDI speak over the crackling intercom. "Commander, the Illusive Man would like to have a word with you."

He raised his hand to pinch the section between his eyes, and then looked to Miranda.

Miranda smiled at him then spoke up in her distinct Aussie accent. "…and you can tell him we have quite a bit to say."

The Loyalist wasn't quite so loyal anymore.

With a heavy grunt and wince of pain, Shepard moved to stand up. With the help of Jack, it made the task a bit easier. The Commander looked around at his crew with great pride before he opened his mouth to speak. "Normandy crew," they all looked to him, some with sly smirks on their faces. "Back to your stations!" Grunt pounded his fists together with a mighty '_hell yes_' attached to it. You could even tell Tali must have been smiling behind her mask. "Aye aye, Commander!"

So now one question begs to be asked: Why the happy faces and eager fist poundings?

Shepard's answer would be quite simple: Because they just did the impossible and lived. They were all still together… and better yet… the mission was not over.

It was _never_ over.

[End of One: The End Run]

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_A/N: Thanks to everyone who took the time to read this. Comments and concrit would be loved._

_Chapter updated on 2/27/2011._


	2. Status Update

_Disclaimer: The Mass Effect Universe and everything in it is owned by BioWare._

_A/N: Thank you to everyone who has subscribed/ added to favorites!_

_This is the last chapter where you'll know the dialog. I just really wanted to continue with something that players might be familiar with - hopefully giving a firm starting base to the story as a whole._

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[Chapter Two: Status Update]

As his team got back to work examining the ship, helping clean up the halls, or running diagnostics, Shepard made his way to the Communication Board that linked to the Illusive Man. EDI specified that he had wanted to talk, and oh did Shepard have something to say.

The damage to his ship was extensive, but between his amazing crew and the funding he had collected throughout his travels, it would only be a matter of time before The Normandy was up and running again. Taking a right turn before the tech lab from the armory, Shepard entered the Board. He waited for the table to lower before he walked onto it, waiting for the Illusive Man's image to appear. At first it didn't seem to work, but after a few moments of inactivity a tired whirring and lazy beeps could be heard. A fuzzy but clearing up image began to take its place.

The Illusive Man could be seen, and he didn't look happy.

"Shepard. You're making a habit of costing me more than time and money."

John raised his hand to his earpiece in mock deafness. "I'm sorry? I'm having trouble hearing you. I'm getting a lot of _bullshit_ on this line."

The Illusive Man wrinkled his eyebrows and slightly lifted his lip in a scowl. "Don't try my patience. The technology from that base could have secured human dominance in the galaxy against the reapers and beyond."

Shepard let out a snorting chuckle, "Human Dominance… or just Cerberus?"

The Illusive man actually stood up from his chair. "Strength for Cerberus is strength for every human." He stepped towards Shepard's holo. "Cerberus _is_ humanity. I should have known you'd choke on the hard decisions; to idealistic from the start!"

Shepard took a step forward as well, knowing fully that the Illusive Man was lucky they were not in the same room, "I'm not looking for your approval and I'll _give_ you something hard to choke on. Harbinger is coming! And he _won't_ be alone. Humanity needs a leader that's looking out for them. From now on I'm doing things _my_ way—whether you agree or not."

The Illusive man had about had it. He took the final steps up to Shepard's holo and leaned in, "Don't turn your back on my Shepard! I _made_ you. I brought you back from the dead," he practically spat.

Shepard couldn't help it. He looked straight into the Illusive Man's eyes and said with a sternly pointed finger, "I guess you should have listened to Miranda and put that chip in my head. Because as far as I can tell? I don't give a flying shit what you did. I got the job done and did it on my terms. Joker, lose this Channel."

The last thing that could be heard as the link was shutting down was Joker cackling, "We should have just told him that from the start! Channel Lost!"

The Illusive Man bit down on his cigar roughly as he returned to his seat. This wouldn't be the last time Shepard dealt with him. In the fight for survival there was no time for petty grudges. So, with new found patience, he swiveled his chair and returned to staring out onto the planet before him.

Time would come soon enough and whether Shepard liked it or not Cerberus' intelligence and resources would be needed again.

**xxxxxxx**

John made his way out of the Communications Room and through the Armory Door. There was Jacob, working away with Kasumi and Grunt and accounting for whatever weapons they had remaining, and the condition of all armor. As he passed he gave them a firm and reassuring nod. Jacob and Grunt simply nodded in return, while Kasumi offered a smile and a polite, "Commander."

He past the armory and went back into the C.I.C. Blue eyes wandered around the mess it had become until he spotted Kelly. She was typing away at her terminal, intent on keeping some kind of focus. Shepard could only imagine what his crew had gone through, so when made his way up to her John was sure to place a firm hand on her shoulder. Kelly turned to face him then brought her eyes down almost instantly. Her brow lightly wrinkled as her mouth turned into a thin line. "Commander, what can I do for you?"

He noticed that face: it was almost reminiscent of a child trying to be brave and not cry.

"Kelly, its okay…"

"You…you came for us. I knew you would. But…thank you. A thousand times thank you."

"How are you doing?"

"I'm holding up okay. I just can't get the memories out of my head." She seemed to space out a moment, visions taking her back to place she didn't want to be. "Trapped. Suffocating. It's oozing into every pore. Faint sobs echoing in the confined space…."

Shepard stepped closer and placed both hands on her shoulders, shaking her softly to snap her out of it.

"I…I'm sorry," she stuttered, "I can't dwell on it. I'm okay now. I'm _alive_. Back…back to the old Kelly."

John gave her an encouraging nod and a soft smile before she unexpectedly smashed into him with a very firm hug. "Thank you, Commander."

Taken back by the gesture his eyes went wide for a moment but soon relaxed as he hesitantly returned her hug. "Don't thank me for saving your life. You're my crew. No one gets left behind."

Kelly took a step back, wiping away a tear that had fallen from her eye and nodded. "Yes sir."

"Now, is there anything that I should know?"

Kelly cleared her throat before speaking, trying to find her professionalism. She wiped the remaining moisture from her eyes as she spoke. "Well. The ship looks like it's had better days, but the crew is all accounted for. Also, there are no new messages at your terminal."

"Thank you Ms. Chambers."

Kelly nodded her head in return then resumed her work, "Commander".

John passed the galaxy map and went towards the cockpit. The crew all gave him respectful nods and quiet _'thank yous' _as he passed by their seats. When he arrived at the pit, he was pleasantly surprised to see both Joker and EDI working together.

"Well I'll be damned. I'm guessing everything is fine here in the cockpit?"

Joker turned his seat around to greet the commander. "Hey, Commander! She and I have come to a sort of…agreement."

"Mhm…well I noticed you're calling EDI 'her' and 'she' now."

Joker had never really approved of EDI aboard '_his'_ ship before, so this acknowledgment surprised Shepard. He was so used to hearing EDI be referred to as 'it' or 'the annoying thing that never seems to shut up and just break'.

Joker clicked his tongue. "Huh. Ya' know I've never really noticed that. EDI, should I have noticed that?"

EDI responded in her usual matter of fact tone, "No, Jeff. It is not worth noting."

Joker turned his attention back to Shepard, smirk on face and dismissive tone in voice. "Well there ya' go Shepard, we haven't noticed anything."

"…I think you're taking the human/machine interface a lil' far there," Shepard teased.

"Aaah I'm just havin' a little fun with you, Commander," he waved, "No need to get all 'that's unnatural' on me."

EDI felt the need to step in. "What Jeff and I are exhibiting is more a platonic symbiosis than hormonally induced courting behavior."

Shepard stared at Joker. An eyebrow rose.

Joker cleared his throat. "…okay yeah. That was … that was maybe just a little creepy."

Shepard laughed, crossing his arms. "You know, EDI can practically replace the whole crew. You're not concerned she can replace you too?"

Joker shook his head and readjusted himself into his pilot seat. "Well, she _is_ amazing but there's something off about how she handles the Normandy. We ran some simulations and it's just better when we both have the helm."

EDI seemed to agree, "Calculating an optimum course of action is simple. If two A.I. weapons are pitted against each other, the one with superior hardware will always win. Human misjudgments defy predictive models."

Joker raised his palms upwards and shrugged at Shepard, giving him a smug smile. "License to screw up Commander; you heard it straight from the ship!"

Shepard chuckled, nodding in his defeat. He was no match for Joker and EDI combined. Looking around the pit he noticed that the glass beneath the metal protective shutter was still completely intact, so he decided to open the hood to see the stars around him. As he reached for the red button, Jokers eyebrows went comically upwards as he tried to stop the commander vocally, "Commander don—!" But it was too late and the button had been pressed.

Shepard looked over to Joker with a curious face, wondering what he had done wrong. Then he turned to see that instead of the shutter's usual smooth and sliding back motion, it pretty much just _fell off_, whipping and whirling in tight circles as it got left to float aimlessly about in space.

Joker sighed and rubbed his eyes, leaning back into his seat with the occasional irritated grumble.

Shepard bit his lower lip then looked from the ceiling, to Joker, to Edi, and then back to the missing hood of the cockpit.

"I…uh…we'll get that fixed."

**xxxxxxx**

It had been a long day, but Shepard was determined to see how everyone was doing. His next stop was the Crew's Quarters. The shaky elevator doors opened to reveal a busy section of the ship. The cook was hard at work making what appeared to be the biggest dinner Shepard had ever seen. It never dawned on him that it had been a bitch of a last day and he was truly hungry. He couldn't wait till everything settled down and the ship got together for a good meal.

Shepard made his way out and into the commotion, giving handshakes and pats on the back as he made his way through towards the medical bay. Dr. Chakwas and Mordin were hard at work. His eyes looked over all the injured laying in the beds and decided it best not to tell the two doctors of his hurting ribs just yet. He exhaled softly before making his way up.

"Anything I can do to help?"

The good doctor turned her attention to the new presence in the room, "Commander!" She leaned in to enfold him in a great big hug. "Everything is under control here. No need to worry yourself. Myself, Mordin, and two other crew members have got this covered. And…thank you again—for coming for us."

Shepard nodded his head and took his old friends hand into his own. "Anytime you need me, just call and I'll be there."

She smiled onto him and nodded, "I know Commander. And I believe you one-hundred percent."

Shepard then turned his attention to Mordin who was busy looking over the charts of a young and newer crew member to the Normandy. His eyes looked her over for any signs of stress. He could find none. "You're doing _great_ work here, Mordin."

Mordin turned to his commander, "Ah Shepard! Actually wanted to talk with you! Medical Matters. Never got to speak to you in private."

Shepard was rather confused when Mordin pulled him away from the group and into what normally was Legion's space near EDI's core. However Legion must have been down in Engineering with Tali, Gabby, and Kenneth. John cleared his throat, "I just wanted to see how everyone was doing down here in the Med Bay."

Mordin inhaled sharply. "Understood."

The Commander blinked more in confusion. "So…what can I help you with, Mordin? You had said Medical Matters? Are you concerned with something? Is it Thane? Is he alright? I know I must have pushed him farther than he's ever been before. How are his lungs?"

"No, Thane is quite alright."

The companionable silence was beginning to feel awkward.

"Aware that previous mission was stressful. Different species have own habits and rituals of relieving stress. Aware that you and Jack are sexually active. I felt need to give warning: Stress may affect element zero in body. Emotionally unstable biotics dangerous during intercourse."

Shepard could feel his face grow hot and eyes get wide. "…Mordin...I don—"

"No need for modesty, Shepard. Know about Jack. Long talks. Frequently down on fourth level. Attractive in _human_ sense. Only common logic to deduce that such thing would occur." He inhaled sharply.

Shepard gave up. If he knew then what was the hurt in asking? "Well…I…do you…have any advice as a doctor?" Shepard knew that he and Jack were nowhere near being able to have sex, but he figured it couldn't hurt to be prepared in advance were the situation actually to ever come up. Better safe than sorry.

Mordin nodded. "Can give biotic inhibitors to dampen neural receptors, weaken unintentional biotic affects. No guarantees. Suggest padding walls."

Shepard's face looked as if he were _almost_ horrified. He could only imagine the things Jack's unintentional biotic power could to do him _and_ his manhood. He cringed. This infiltrator was not exactly prepared for that.

"However. Biotic ability also gives benefits. Forwarding booklet to your quarters. Includes diagrams, exercises, and inventive uses of mass effect fields. Can supply oils or ointments to reduce discomfort. Have salves to apply to possible biotic burns. Gave EDI electronic relationship aid demonstration vids to use as necessary."

Shepard squint his eyes as a smile appeared on his lips. He waggled a finger towards Mordin and let out a small, uncomfortable laugh. "Wait a minute, Mordin. You're just yankin' me around aren't you?"

Mordin took a step back. "Shocking suggestion! Strict doctor/patient confidentiality a sacred trust! Would never dream of…mockery!" The salarian had a clear and very honest face that showed he was shocked Shepard would ever say such a thing.

Shepard tightened his jaw trying to keep from showing his embarrassment, "Thank you Mordin. I'll be keeping everything you've said in mind."

Mordin smiled, his eyes closing and looking like upside down U's. "Enjoy Shepard."

Quickly Shepard made his way from Legions small room out back into the Medical Bay. He nodded his goodbyes to a very confused Dr. Chakwas and made his way out and back into the open space of level three. There he exhaled and collected his thoughts. He knew Miranda and Garrus were busy at their respective stations, so he decided to get back into the rickety elevator and head down into level four: Engineering.

The doors opened and all was silent. Surprisingly the engine seemed to be working _semi_-decently. He turned right and went through the doors, looking down the steps that led into Jacks area. Shepard paused. He wanted to go down, but decided best if that were the last thing he did that day. He wanted to save whatever time was left of the evening with Jack. So, he went through the doors in front of him instead to be greeted by Tali, Legion, Kenneth, and Gabby. They had been working away furiously at the Ships core and engine.

"How's it coming along down here?"

All three looked to Tali to respond.

She sighed heavily, "Some of the control functions are being little _bosh'tets_! But overall, I suppose it could have been a lot worse for the energy core."

Shepard nodded. "Good to hear. Are there significant problems or parts that need to be replaced?"

Tali shook her head. "We're having problems with balancing some of our metric profiles around the middle and top tier, but Engineer Gabby rebalanced the coefficients and adjusted the anterior intakes on the second tier stabilizers. Now all that is left is the top tier. However, I don't expect the ship being able to take prolonged joyrides any time soon. Due to current damage the engine seems to overheat, and the energy core goes…" Tali thought for a second before using her hands to signify some sort of explosion. "… if used for too long. It is a problem that will be fixed eventually. No worries, Shepard."

"Do you think she could make it to the Citadel or at least Illium for some parts to help with the process? I have a nice amount of credits saved up for the ship and crews needs, so currency issues shouldn't be a problem for some time I would imagine."

Tali seemed to consider his words for a moment before replying, "We could run on reserved power which would output a smaller amount of energy, and I would imagine that _further_ adjusting specifications to energy outputs _and_ the coolant system would get us to at _least_ the Citadel. Perhaps not as fast as it would normally, but it should get us there none the less."

Shepard smiled at her which caused Tali to look down at her feet. "I'll get to work on that, Shepard."

"Thank you, Tali. We'll set course for the Citadel. Let me know when the modifications have been applied and I'll give the direction to Joker and EDI."

Tali nodded.

"Oh by the way…do you think it would be possible to change EDI's holo? Something to like what Avina is on the Citadel? It's just a thought but I really think she'd like that. A gift I guess…for saving our asses on the Collector base while we were all slumped at the entrance."

Tali blinked behind her mask and thought quietly. "I couldn't see why not. While highly evolved for a ship A.I, her holo is just a standard installed A.I. depiction. I'm sure if we were to add a specific model type, or a custom made model type into the program her holo would and could change."

Shepard scratched his chin. "Hmm. It's definitely something I should look into then. Thank you, Tali."

The Quarian nodded her head and resumed to her duties. Shepard offered a single wave in goodbye to the other crew members then made his way out of engineering and towards the steps that took him to Jack's space.

He inhaled softly then made his way down into the darker area of the ship.

[End Two: Status Update]


	3. Someone Like Me

_Disclaimer: The Mass Effect universe and everything in it belongs to BioWare._

[Chapter Three: Someone Like Me]

Shepard walked down the steps carefully, quietly. He allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness before descending the whole way. It got better once he was down, the faint red light helped guide his way towards his goal: Jack.

As he turned the corner he looked for the familiar outline of a shape he favored. Usually she was on her cot, sitting there in silence and contemplating only God knew what. But as he walked up to the area, much to his disappointed…she wasn't there.

Shepard sighed heavily, staring at the empty bed when suddenly from the darkness he felt someone press up against his back and a head rest in between his shoulders. Shepard tried to turn to face her but a pair of heavily tattooed arms wrapped around his tender ribcage and squeezed firmly.

He inhaled the familiar scent softly, a happy smirk coming to his lips as he gently pressed back into her embrace. _"This is nice," _he thought.

Things don't always go as planned with Jack: As soon as that came to mind, she stomped around him and punched him square in his right shoulder…hard.

"_Or not."_

"What the fuck, Shepard."

John rubbed his shoulder, wincing as he looked at her. "What'd I do?"

Jack clenched her mouth shut and paced back and forth in the same small area. "You," she growled under her breath, "...you scared the shit outta' me that's what!"

She abruptly stopped in front of him, eyes almost in slits. "And what the _hell_ were you thinking! You're in the middle of goddamned fire and you start to fuckin' strip? Did you think giving the Collectors a _peep_ _show_ was going to throw off their aim?"

Shepard couldn't help but let out a laugh, which in turn caused him to hold his side. He never considered how idiotic he just may have looked as he ran in desperation towards the Normandy. "I'm sorry, Jack. It was the only thing I could think of that would make me even remotely faster. You saw that gap I had to jump. I was tired. I _am_ tired. And my armor wasn't exactly _light_."

Jack narrowed her eyes at him. "Fuckin' idiot, I swear."

"Hey…but you gotta' be impressed with that leap." John brought his hands up, indicating the size of the gap he had to jump with an overly enthusiastic and exaggerated gesture. "That jump? It was preeeetty big."

Jack rolled her eyes; her tone was flat and unimpressed. "You want a medal or somethin'?"

Shepard smirked, "What? You got random medals just lying around to hand out to people? Because in that case, I would definitely agree that the leap I did deserves one. A _big_ one that's all gold and shiny."

"Remember what I told you about your jokes?"

Shepard looked at her with innocence. "That they were hilarious?"

She chose to just outright ignore him.

"…or not."

Jack looked him over for moment. "So…you hurt or somethin'?"

Shepard wondered what would have made her think that before realizing that he'd been unconsciously holding his side protectively, "Nah. Not really. Just...maybe cracked a rib or two. Can't tell you where though. It was either after the Reaper, during the Reaper, or slamming into the Normandy."

She wasn't happy to hear this. "You should have just taken me with you! I would have watched your ass way better than the Cheerleader or the frog. Otherwise this shit happens. Lucky it's just a rib and not a damn bullet in your head."

Shepard just looked at her, trying his best to explain, "Jack, it's not that I didn't—" She lifted a hand to stop his talking. He snapped his teeth shut once in his mouth, annoyed at the gesture.

A moment of silence passed between the two.

Jack's curiosity finally got the best of her as she took a step up to him and removed his hand from the injured side. She aggressively lifted his shirt to expose his lean stomach and the gigantic bruises that covered the area that seemed hurt him most.

John winced but held down the sound that wanted to leave his lips.

"Shit, Shepard… maybe you ain't a pussy after all. You took a good hit."

John smirked at her, "Don't be a pussy was on my check list. I told you. "

Jack considered him for a moment and then took a last glance at his rib cage. "Med Bay. Now."

Shepard softly removed her hand and lowered his shirt. "Not now. There are way too many people that need the medical attention more. This can wait. It only hurts when aggressive and very attractive women punch me or lift pieces of my clothing too quickly."

He waited for a snapped response or maybe even another smack to his body but was surprised when he saw Jack just stand there biting her lower lip, frowning and looking to the floor. She crossed her arms under her breasts and softly said, "…sorry."

Shepard blinked at her. This was the only time he'd ever heard Jack use that word.

She looked up at him and scowled, her tone beginning to show signs of all kinds of irritation and anger, "What? What the hell are you looking at?"

"It…nothing. Nevermind."

Jack shook her head dismissively and walked to her cot, leaving him there standing alone. Shepard cleared his throat and looked to his feet. _"I guess….that was as good a sign as any to say 'get the hell out of here, Shepard'."_

He gave her a wistful look before he turned to leave but was stopped when an annoyed, _'…where the hell you going_' was stated towards him. Shepard turned to look at her and shrugged, "…I figured that was your way of telling me you were done talking."

"Fucking clueless."

"Was it not?"

Jack looked at him, more annoyed than ever. "If I wanted you to leave, I'd just say so. I didn't say that now _did_ I?"

Shepard looked at her, not wanting to argue. "No. No I guess you didn't." He stood there for a moment more before deciding to walk up to her cot and take a seat next to her. "…is it alright if I sit here?"

She shrugged, not even looking at him. "S'whatever."

Several minutes passed by in absolute silence. She was never one for long conversation but he never did mind. Shepard looked at his hands, down to the ground between his legs, he'd look around the room he'd seen a hundred times before, and then finally let his eyes catch glimpses of Jack.

Face…neck…shoulders…arms…back…she was _beautiful_; tattoos and scars alike.

"Hey, Shepard…?" John snapped to when he thought he'd been caught catching eyefuls of her.

"Yeah, Jack?" He waited for the worst.

"Can I…Can I just fuckin' ask you somethin'?"

Shepard relaxed a little before noticing the question and tensing right back up, "Sure. What's on your mind?"

Jack stood up from the cot and paced a bit, looking as if trying to gather her thoughts.

Shepard watched her carefully. He looked at the way she wrung her hands as she paced and the worried look on her face as she thought. The biotic exhaled sharply, seeming to be more annoyed with herself than with Shepard. Then again… he could never tell. It was probably him.

"I wanna' know what your damage is."

_Yep_. It was him.

"Excuse me?"

"You know. You gotta' be some kind of fucked if you're wanting something like me."

"Jack its no—"

"I'm being one-hundred and fifty fucking percent serious, Shepard. I want a straight answer from you."

"Jack, I—" Shepard grumbled at being interrupted after being _asked_ for an answer.

"Because someone like you? They don't want nothin' to do with someone like me."

Shepard shook his head in confusion. "Someone like me?"

"I've done shit. Some shit I did for the sake of doing shit. Ya' know?" She looked frustrated with herself as she tried to explain what she thought in a cohesive sentence.

"It's just. It don't make any sense, Shepard. You've managed to become the damn poster boy for humanity. Who the hell _manages_ somethin' like that? And not ONLY that, but you got the Council and Alliance on your side too? Shit even Cerberus hired you. Fuck, they brought you back from the _dead_ because you're such a badass." She rolled her eyes at herself; a little pissed she had to describe him like that. But it was true.

Shepard sat on the cot, looking at her in all sincerity. "Jack. I wasn't always like this. It was a long road I had to travel to get the training and the—"

"Yeah, yeah. Sure you were a little shit when you were a kid but you've pretty much been on the straight ever since. Me? Hell. I'd probably either be dead, passed out drunk, back to my old crap, or all three if it weren't for you comin' along to bust me outta' that life…"

Shepard quirked a brow as he though quietly, "_…dead AND drunk?" _ He kept his smirk hidden, thinking it best to keep the comment to himself. She was trying after all, so Shepard respected her enough to not remark.

Jack sighed, looking down at the front of her mapped torso, then up to Shepard, "I…Shepard, I got a record longer than this damn ship, enough ink on my skin to rewrite the fuckin' bible, I'm _batshit_ crazy and _know_ it, and I don't even got big tits to add to such an _awesome_ personality," she stated, sarcasm dripping off her words. "I ain't even pretty… not like the Cheerleader, or hell, even the Buckethead. I'm no good for you. But day after day you…you show up again. You ain't left yet and that…that ain't _normal_, Shepard."

Shepard held a finger up to her. "Jack, will you just…shut up?"

Jack looked at him, anger clearly written all over her face. No one talked to her like that. A small spark of biotic mass flicked off her fingers. Shepard exhaled, "Listen. I could give a _shit_ about your record. That isn't you anymore. You're _here_. You're not out there on some rampage and you're sure as hell not in that damn prison anymore. You could have left at any time when I got you out. There wasn't a person aboard this ship that _made_ you stay. The only thing I ever did was _ask_ for your help."

Jack considered his words.

"But you stayed of your _own_ accord, and that _shows_ me something, Jack. That _tells_ me something. And that should speak volumes to you too." Shepard studied her for a moment. "…and you know what? I agree with you. You're _not_ pretty."

Jack's head snapped up to stare him straight in the eyes. Her face seemed to cross over a thousand emotions. She tried not to let it show, but failed. Shepard could clearly see anger, shock, self-consciousness, hurt, and everything in between."

"Fuck you, Shep—"

"You're goddamn _gorgeous_. Jesus Jack, you're stunning even."

Jack sucked in her breath and lowered her face, turning from him slightly.

Shepard slowed down his words only somewhat and made sure his tonality came out softer.

"Jack. I don't want Miranda. I don't want the bucket—…erm…Tali. I come down day after day because I want _you_. And you might not think that's normal but hell…do I remotely even seem normal to you?"

"You really piss me off you know that?"

"Wait…what?" Shepard sighed heavily leaning back against the wall as he sat on the cot.

"Damn it, Shepard…I was fine with being me. I came to terms with that shit a long time ago. I'm a criminal. A no good—I _get_ that. I took it and made what I could with it. Hell, it got me here didn't it? But you? You came along with your fancy ship, shiny armor, and _niiiice_ fuckin' guns…"

That made Shepard smile.

Jack saw and pointed at him "You shut the fuck up till I'm done."

Shepard removed the smile at once.

"Shepard…you make me wanna do better in this 'verse that's just so completely…_fucked_." She struggled with her emotions, trying not to let them show in her voice or face. "You make me wanna… _be_ better. I ain't used to feeling like that."

John stood up then and slowly made his way towards her. She had her arms crossed insecurely under her chest, eyes looking down at her boots. Waiting to see if she'd protest, Shepard cautiously drew her into his embrace and held her tightly. Jack let her head rest on his chest for a moment but kept both arms in place under her breasts. However, before Shepard could say anything, Jack shook her head. She pulled away from him and turned her back, facing the now empty cot. "What the hell, Shepard," her voice cracked.

"Jack…it's—"

"Get out."

Shepard shook his head. "I told you already. I'm not going anywhere."

"Well I want you to fuckin' get lost! Get out!"

Shepard took a step back. He didn't quite know what to make of the situation. "Jack let me just—"

Her biotics flared up into a light blue-black aura around her body. She lowered her hands to the side, showing him that she meant it. They glowed brightly and Shepard knew to back off.

"Get. The fuck. Out."

Shepard took another step back in withdraw, nodding his head slowly, sadly. "Alright. Alright, Jack. I'm leaving." He turned to walk towards the steps but before exiting simply stated, "Dinner in a few. If you're hungry…feel free to join me and the crew on level three."

Jack dimmed the fireworks but kept her distance and refused to look at him. "I ain't a people person. No thanks."

Shepard clenched his jaw before turning to go up the stairs and out of her room.

[End of Three: Someone Like Me]

_A/N: I realize that Jack may (maybe not for some tastes) be coming off a bit too mouthy, but I figure since this is literally the evening right after her 'paramour' that her character shouldn't have changed that much. It's a long road to crumble all your walls and bare all your insecurities._


	4. Sitting Here

_Disclaimer: The Mass Effect Universe and everything in it belong to BioWare._

_A/N: Just a reminder that this chapter (and the next) still takes place the same evening the suicide mission ended. We'll be getting to brand new days soon._

[Chapter Four: Sitting Here]

_What the HELL just happened. _His mind raced as he made his way towards the elevator. Everything had been going so well. The night before their mission was…amazing. Now _this_? He didn't understand. What did he have to prove to her that he hadn't already said or shown? He tried to take the relationship slowly. He always went at her pace. If she wanted to be touched, he'd touch. If she wanted space, hell he was on level one and she was on level four! When she wanted silence, he didn't say a word for sometimes hours on end.

So what did he do wrong?

As he entered the elevator he realized he'd been holding his breath for the longest of time. He released a long exhale as he pressed the green button to go up a level. He needed to eat. By this point there was no energy left in his body. He needed something hot, filling, and something to satisfy his bodies' want for comfort. Maybe freshly baked cake? Did Mess Sergeant Gardner even _make_ cake? As Shepard thought quietly to himself the elevator doors opened to level three. His eyes were down as he thought of comforting cake, _"Nevermind. Doubt he makes it anyway. It's a military vessel Shepard, not a cruise ship."_

Shepard had taken two steps through the elevator doors when suddenly with a soft "_Oof_!" one Ms. Tali'Zorah vas Normandy was nearly toppled over.

Shepard was quick to act, arms reaching out for her and encircling her protectively from the hard floor of the Normandy. "Be careful there, Ms. Vas Normandy. We got enough people in the med bay to last us at least a week or two. Don't need to add to the pile now do we?"

He smiled down at her warmly, causing Tali to blush furiously beneath her visor. Of course Shepard couldn't see that. He held onto her for a moment before he felt she was steady enough to release.

"Oh _keelah_, Shepard, I'm so sorry. I should have been watching where I was going and I'm clumsy and stupid and—"

"Tali. It's okay. Really, I wasn't looking where I was going either. I think I was thinking about…cake?"

Tali raised a brow beneath her helmet, "Cake, Shepard?"

John scratched the back of his head, a small chuckle leaving his lips. "Yeah. It's been kind of a long day. I just suddenly had the craving for something comforting."

Tali nodded, "I see. I think I would like that too, however nutrient paste can only come in so many flavors."

Shepard smacked his face with his palm. How could he have been so insensitive? He was bitching about cake while Tali has been stuck eating the same crap for years. At least Shepard had different dinners every other day.

"Tali, I'm sorry…I didn't meant to sound—"

"I'm teasing, Shepard. Only teasing."

Shepard smiled, nodding slowly. "Well I was about to make my way towards dinner. Where were you heading off to?"

Tali knew she was going somewhere, but the little mishap that just occurred completely threw her off track. "I…don't remember?"

John laughed, "Well then Ms. Vas Normandy, would you care to join me for dinner? I could use the company."

Tali cleared her throat, "…m-me, Shepard? What about Ja—" She caught herself and didn't want to say it. "Mm…won't there be practically the whole crew sitting at the same table as you would sit?"

Shepard pondered her question. "I suppose you're right, I guess. Sorry."

Tali waved her hands at him, "Nono, Shepard! No need to apologize! I was just simply trying to state a fact. I didn't mean that I would not enjoy your company or would not want to join you. Because I _do_! It's just…I don't think I should. It wouldn't be _good_ for _me_ and…I'm ranting aren't I?"

Shepard raised an eyebrow at her, "Wouldn't…be good for you?"

Clueless.

Tali froze in horror. Did she really just say that?

Shepard then realized, offering a smile and nod of the head, "I understand, Tali."

Tali had the most horrific face plastered on; It's just no one could tell behind her coverings. "Y-you do?"

Shepard nodded. "I don't' blame you. I'd hate being stuck with a bunch of _bo'shtets_ that continually stuffed their faces and talked out of their asses too."

"_Shepard just murdered the word. But it was cute that he had tried," _thought Tali.

She relaxing only somewhat, "R-right_… Bosh'tets_. Asses. Ahem."

"Well, don't let me keep you from whatever it was you were going to do, but forgot, but are now trying to remember."

Tali blinked vacantly, confused by the play of words. "I think I'll just…go back to engineering. I need to make more modifications if we're going to make it to The Citadel. I'll talk to you later, Shepard." She quickly walked passed him and into the elevator, smashing the button with her middle finger, not even bothering to turn around.

"Bye Ta—" The Elevator door shut, leaving him talking to himself. "…li…"

Shepard let out a long sigh. What the hell was going on with everyone?

**xxxxxxx**

The mess hall was noisy and Shepard found himself actually liking it. It didn't' leave him alone with his thoughts, with the words Jack had told him. He grabbed a tray from the serving table and plopped down next to Jacob and Kasumi.

"Shepaaaard, are we getting loud and spillin' drinks yet? Lord knows you earned it after today. We all did!"

Shepard laughed softly, shaking his head, "Not yet, Jacob." He shoveled a spoonful of what looked like mashed potatoes into his mouth.

Kasumi looked at him and laughed.

John looked up, the realized what he must look like. He slowed down his chewing, and shoveled less, "Sorry. Didn't realize how hungry I was until the food was done."

Kasumi just waved him off happily, "Oh relax, Shepard! I'm pretty sure we were the same way."

Shepard looked to the two of them in a questioning gaze, "You two have been spending a lot of time together, hmm?"

Kasumi shrugged, a playful smile forming on her face. "I just keep him around because he's nice to look at. All that working off really paid off but really… that's about it." She poked his obviously ripped stomach.

Jacob shook his head and covered his eyes with the palm of his hand, "Cruel woman: Only using me for my good looks."

Shepard smirked, "I'm sure it's working both ways."

Kasumi's eyebrows raised in feign shock, jaw slacking only just. "Why Shepard, did you just call me attractive?"

John shook his head and laughed, dodging the implication. "It's not what you think. It's not that I called you attractive; it's just that when you join the Normandy you have to have 'attractive' on your resume. It's just a well known fact. Ya' gotta' be good lookin' or you're out!"

Just then Garrus passed by on the way to his room, "How the hell you'd get here then?"

Jacob and Kasumi both let out loud laughs while Shepard shook his head and leaned down onto the table with his elbows. "Ouch."

Garrus walked proudly to his room, slightly strutting while lifting his finger into the air and making an invisible point to add to his invisible score board. "Count it!"

Jacob covered his mouth with his hand and mocked the voice of a sports announcer, "Garrus: 41, Shepard: -5!"

Just then Shepard looked up at him, "What! How the hell did I manage to get a negative?"

Right as he asked, Grunt passed by on his way to the elevator, "Because you have little quads. Ha!" He slammed his fists together then he disappeared into a closed elevator.

Shepard raised his hands in the air in surrender. "What the hell! Is this beat up your Commander day? I surrender, damn it."

Kasumi was leaning into Jacob due to her laughing a little bit too hard. Jacob's face was pretty much purple from lack of oxygen. John raised a brow, "Alright, laugh it up. But next time if a Collector chooses to take either one you, you better pray someone comes to save you cause' I won't be it!"

Kasumi reached over for him, her laughs dying down. "Oh come on, Shepard! It's all in good fun!"

John laughed, nodding his head and taking her hand in a good-sportsman shake. "Now you two get outta' here and let me eat in peace. My food is all cold and the only thing you two have been good for is hurting my pride."

The pair laughed whole heartedly as they rose. Kasumi gave Shepard another quick hug from the back and Jacob patted him once on the shoulder. "Later, Shepard."

"Bye, you two."

Suddenly it hit him. It was already late. How long were they all talking for? The mess hall was pretty much empty save for a few who liked eating at that hour. But they were off at their own table and involved in their own conversations. Shepard stared down at his half empty plate. He moved around the vegetables with his fork, smooshing them with the potato-like substance. He found that he just wasn't very hungry anymore. After a small sigh escaped his lips, John pushed his tray away, _"Might as well go to bed."_

As he began to rise from his seat, another person's plate slammed down on the table next to him.

He raised a brow as he stared at the plate then back around to the person it belonged to. "Jack?"

The Biotic took her seat next to his, "Got hungry. Sitting here."

John had half a mind to just leave like he planned but…he just couldn't. He sank back into his seat quietly next to her. His jaw clenched then loosened, the muscles in his cheeks flexing. They sat there for the next twenty minutes in complete silence. When she was done with her food she pushed the tray away and got up. Shepard did the same. But this time, he didn't wait for her to make the first move. Without a word he walked passed her and into the elevator. If she wanted to come, it was her deal. He was tired. Jack stood at the table for a moment, not looking to him. But soon, and much to John's surprise, followed him into the elevator.

"I'm going to my cabin, Jack."

She looked at his face, studying him with a well groomed, raised eyebrow that made her look cocky. "I know?"

Shepard returned her gaze, clearly confused. She had been driving him on all sorts of roller coasters today. What now? "…you're coming with me?"

"The fuck does it look like, Shepard?"

The elevator seemed to take forever. Shepard sighed at her predictable response and rubbed his eyes, "Jack, you can't keep doing this crap to me. One minute you're there with me, I mean _really_ there with me, and then the next you're acting like I tattooed my name on your ass without your permission."

"You would like that, huh Shepard?"

"I'm being serious, Jack. What's going on? Because I know I'm confused as hell. And I _don't_ like being jerked around… because as far as I can tell, _you're_ the one who walked away."

"Shepard I know. I know okay?" Jacks tone became softer, almost broken. "Maybe that wasn't right but…I'm _trying_."

John couldn't help but lighten up his mood. She was right. She _had_ been trying as screwy as that might have sounded. He had to give her that. She'd changed drastically in only the few months they'd known each other. And she said it herself earlier that day: she wanted to be better, wanted to do better. He knew in his heart he could never give up on her, that this was a battle he needed to walk with her. He just wished she could see that he wasn't going to leave. Maybe he just had to make it clearer. And soon, he'd find out a way to show her just that.

The elevator door opened, still shaky from the damage the ship had previously taken. John exited and stopped in front of his cabin door, turning to look at Jack, "Do you want to come in?" He watched her face carefully for any signs of discomfort.

Jack thought quietly, a whole line of emotions playing across her face. In the end she stepped out of the elevator and stood behind Shepard, "Yeah."

John turned to face his door and inhaled lightly. He had no clue what was going to happen or why she even wanted to come up here. He knew she wasn't ready for anything. _She_ knew she wasn't ready for anything, so all possible conclusions fell empty on the Commander. But…despite it all, he was glad she was there with him and not three levels below.

He smacked the green button in the middle of the door and stepped aside so Jack could enter first. She eyed him curiously but didn't back down, stepping through with the commander close behind. His doors hummed quietly, shutting the large doors behind them.

[End of Four: Sitting Here]

"_Nobody said it was easy, No one ever said it would be this hard." -Coldplay _


	5. Moments of Softness

_Disclaimer: The Mass Effect Universe and everything in it belongs to BioWare._

_

* * *

_

[Chapter Five: Moments of Softness]

Shepard's cabin was nice and cold. The lighting was dim but the rather large fish tank in his room gave off a pleasant blue glow. Jack had never really taken the time to check out Shepard's room. The only other instance she'd been there was right before the suicide mission. And even then she didn't take the time to get to know anything. Her concentration that night was on Shepard and on telling him whatever she could manage to get off her chest. As the doors opened, Shepard went straight for his personal terminal and sat down on the chair in front it. "Mind if I send off a message to a couple of people? Gotta' see if I can get any help with parts for repairs. Just wanna' get this out of the way so we can do…whatever."

Jack shrugged. "Don't care."

Shepard looked her over for a moment then went to work typing a way. "It won't be that long."

Jack gave the room a scan with her eyes. She never really noticed how much crap was in there. The Cabin was a decent size sure, but this guy had pretty much everything packed in. _"Couch, bed, two desks, armory, a couple of chairs, his own bathroom, a shelf, coffee table, and a fuckin' fish tank?"_

"Must be nice to have all this shit to yourself."

Shepard smirked from behind his terminal, "You know you're welcome to come up whenever. You don't have to spend all your time down on deck four on that damn cot."

Jack, still at the door, looked at him and raised a brow. "And just what the fuck is wrong with my cot?"

He shook his head as he typed with his eyes glued on the screen. "Well nothing, I guess. I'm just saying if you ever want to come up that you would be more than welcomed to."

Jack clicked her tongue then decided to actually walk in, not responding to his comment. First stop was the desk by his bed on the other side of his cabin. It was cluttered with paper work on one side but the other was nice and clean. On the top right hand corner was an old battered N7 helmet rested. It looked like it'd been through hell. She ran her fingers over it, feeling the deep scratches and dents. "…this yours?"

Shepard looked over his terminal and towards the object she was touching, "Yeah, I found it at the crash site of my old ship. It's my old headgear."

She gave it a nod of approval, an almost 'thank you for keeping Shepard's head safe', and continued to explore the desk. Two holo-photos caught her eye. One was a plain framed holo, while the other was a vid. Jack reached to pick up the first. It was of a very pretty human woman that was just maybe a little younger than Shepard. She had long, beautiful brown hair that fell well past her shoulders and piercing blue eyes. The woman looked to have a soft and very comfortable sweater on with a pair of jeans. She looked so happy. Jack frowned. This woman was so different from herself. "_Who the hell is this? Is this what he's into?"_ She let out a soft scoff then put the holo back a bit roughly_. "Prolly couldn't shoot the fuckin' broad side of a ship with a McCain."_

She chose to move on to the next holo instead of bringing up what she just saw. This one was a framed holo-vid of Shepard's old crew. She pressed play and the small screen came to life, glowing brightly but with no sound. The crew all stood packed in together in a hallway and his old Normandy ship could be seen in the background through a large window. They had been docked somewhere. Joker and Garrus looked as if they were bickering at each other. Tali was mingling with another engineer as well as a tanned woman dressed in white and pink armor. Dr. Chakwas, along with several other crew members, seemed to be holding a pose thinking it would be a plain old photo. Jack didn't know anyone else as she watched, showing the slightest of smirks. But then she found Shepard. He was hugging and laughing with the squid-head she had met on Illium. Liara was it?

This did not make her happy.

Jack unlocked the holo and hovered her index finger over the 'erase' option.

Shepard noticed her being quiet and took a peak from his terminal to check on her. "Everything okay over there?"

Jack stared daggers at the option. "Peachy."

"Alright," he responded, finding her reply to be a bit…odd.

With a soft growl, she re-locked the photo and set it down harshly against the desk. She couldn't do that to Shepard. If there was one thing she knew he cared about it was his crew – new and old alike.

"I'm almost done over here, just need to send off one more."

"Like I said. Don't care."

She could hear him typing furiously over the terminal. Shepard would raise his eyes every now and then to catch a glimpse of her. "So, what are you doing?"

Jack shrugged, turning around from the desk to plop onto his bed. "Nothin'. Lookin' around. Why? Got something to hide, Shepard?"

He let out a chuckle, "Nope. Look around all you want, be my guest."

She rolled her eyes then noticed she liked the feel of the mattress beneath her. She sat at the edge, eyebrow raised as she bounced herself on it softly and making the mattress squeak. "…not too shabby," she muttered to herself.

Shepard heard the squeaking then craned his neck to see what she was doing. The sight made him smile. She looked….cute. "Having fun over there?"

Jack shot him a dirty look, "Don't you get no ideas, Shepard. Was just checkin' it out."

"Firm enough?" Shepard asked with a small tone of innuendo in his voice.

Jack stared him dead in the eye, "Nope. Seems everything you got to offer is a little…_soft_."

Wow. She managed to not only call him a wimp, but offend his manhood as well. He clenched his jaw shut. "Deserved that."

"Yep."

Shepard finished off his last sentence, sent the message, and then shut the terminal down. He pushed his feet against the floor causing his chair to roll away from the desk and out into open view.

"So. What do you wanna' do?"

Jack sniffed herself. "I want a fuckin' bath. I smell like ass after today."

Shepard tried his best to impersonate Kenneth, "Mighty fine ass."

The only response he evoked was that of annoyance. He sighed, "Well, I have my own bathroom. Feel free."

Jack stood from his bed and walked over towards him. "You got any clothes I could borrow? These are starting to stiffen from all the shit on em'. "

Shepard stared at her. "Gross."

She scowled, "Don't go acting like _you_ don't fuckin' smell or that your clothes don't get dirty. Do you have anything or not?"

"Was teasing, Jack. It was a rough day today."

"Well don't."

"Sorry, geez."

Jack couldn't tell him, but it actually stung when he played with her in that manner. Unlike so many men before him, she actually cared what he had to think of her. She hated it and that little factor scared her, but she couldn't help it none the less.

Shepard got off his chair and headed towards a small drawer. He pulled out a large, white t-shirt and a pair of black shorts. "These okay?"

"S'alright," she said, extending her hands to catch them. He tossed them over.

"Don't go using all the hot water. I need one too if I smell as bad as you say."

Jack gave a small but cruel laugh as she turned and walked into the bathroom. "I'll use whatever I damn well please." The doors closed.

Shepard rubbed his face. There was just _no_ speaking with her tonight.

Since he was standing he decided to fix up his room while he could. He tucked his chair back in, picked up all balled up pieces of paper, put the two holos in their correct spaces, and neatened the paper stack on his desk. "Well it wasn't bad. But I guess that's better."

He looked around trying to see if there was anything else he could do. When he found nothing, he sat at the edge of his bed. God he was tired. And yeah, he most definitely needed a bath from what he could tell now. Slowly he took off the orange casual Normandy vest he wore around the ship. He hissed softly as he shrugged it off his arms and threw it into a basket. "…had to be the damn ribs," he cursed.

After a moment he tried to take off his shirt. Shepard growled in the process. He couldn't lift his damn left arm long enough without a heavy sharp pain jerking through him. He sighed in surrender, deciding to take a breather to unbuckle his pants and take off his boots and socks instead.

That felt better. He ran his feet along the smooth surface of his floor. It was cold and felt nice. A few more minutes passed when Jack finally emerged from the bathroom. Shepard looked up to see her and was slightly dumbfounded when he did. He soaked her in from head to toe. Jack leaned into the bathroom's doorframe, one leg crossed over the other as she stood there, her left foot trying to scratch the top of her right foot. She was brushing her teeth with what was most likely Shepard's toothbrush and pale blue foam surrounded her mouth. Her legs looked smooth and long and her toenails were actually…_painted_? They were a dark crimson color.

"_Holy fuck," _Shepard thought.

The large, white shirt was dangling loosely over her body down to her mid-thigh. She wasn't wearing any kind of undergarment beneath and he could tell—the room was cold after all. The black shorts he had given her were most likely rolled up at the waist since they appeared to be _a lot_ shorter than usual.

She smelled great. As soon as the door opened he caught whiff of the freshly showered scent. But for some reason it just smelled better than usual when it was Jack sporting it. Jack cocked a brow at him. "The hell you staring at, Shepard," she said through the toothbrush.

Shepard blinked, shaking his head a little to get it back on straight. "Sorry. You just look…"

He smiled dumbly at her.

She rolled her eyes and turned around to go back into the bathroom. Shepard heard her spit and rinse before she came back out and into the room, "Your turn."

John looked her for a second, "I guess it is. Alright." He attempted to take off his shirt again. It was no good. He sighed heavily, obviously annoyed. "Fucking rib cage, God damn it."

Jack walked up to him. "Hurtin' pretty bad?"

He shook his head, "Just when I lift this damn arm."

"Here let me just…" Jack reached down to take hold of the bottom of his shirt. "Raise your arms for a sec. I'll slide it right off."

Shepard was stunned at her offer to help. "…uh…alright." He slowly lifted both arms, a hiss returning to his lips. In no time flat Jack had the shirt over his head and onto the floor.

"One time deal, Shepard. I ain't gonna' deal with this shit when you get old and gray. The minute you can't take care of yourself I'm bolting."

Shepard looked up at her face and into her eyes. A smile couldn't help but spread across his lips, "So…you'll be staying with me at least till I'm old and moldy then?"

Jack turned her face away from his and frowned, taking a few steps back as she did so. "If you're lucky."

Shepard took the hint and backed off a bit. He stood up and made his way to the bathroom. "Good enough for me."

**xxxxxxx**

About twenty minutes had passed after John had entered the shower. When he came back out in his sleeping shorts Jack was already comfortable on the right side of the bed, legs crossed at the ankle and looking at what appeared to be some kind of magazine. "I didn't think you'd be into this kind of shit, Shepard" she said in an amused tone.

"Into what?"

Jack turned the magazine and unfolded a page for him.

His eyes got large. "It was only five credits. I was just curious."

She smiled widely, turning the magazine back around to see. "Freaky shit in here. Fornax," she played with the word in her mouth. "Shit, even the title sounds dirty."

John shook his head, a smile across his mouth as he made his way towards the bed.

Still reading an article and observing a picture, Jack pointed to the opposite side of her space on the bed. "You stay on that side, you hear me?" She didn't bother giving him eye contact.

Shepard raised his hands in front of himself and shrugged at her. "I'll do whatever you want. That's fine."

As he plopped down, Shepard could feel how drained his body was. He let out a loud sigh of relief as he rolled back onto the mattress, his head landing on one of his pillows. "This feels so damn nice. I didn't realize how tired I was."

Jack put the magazine down on her lap and looked over to him. "Well it's sure as hell better than my cot. I'll give you that."

Shepard looked over to her and mocked her earlier statement, "And just what the fuck is wrong with your cot?"

She took his point. "Fucking hilarious, Shepard. Really."

**xxxxxxx**

Minutes found themselves passing in silence and Jack was still reading the Fornax magazine. Shepard couldn't help but smirk every now and then as she'd give off wide eyed expressions, (giggles?) or soft '_oh_ _shit'_ or '_that's_ _just_ _nasty_' comments. His eyes were feeling heavy but he kept them open just to watch Jack in this relaxed state. He would let his blue orbs wander up and along her frame until they once again landed on her painted toe-nails.

"Hey Jack?"

"Yep?"

"…you paint your nails?"

Jack cocked a brow and put the magazine down, looking to her dark red toe-nails and wiggling them before looking to Shepard, "Eh. I jacked it off of the cheerleader's nightstand when she left her office. It was just to piss her off but I ended up gettin' curious and trying it on for shits and giggles. The color is alright, I guess. One time deal, though."

Shepard smirked at her and she looked clearly annoyed because of it, "What, Shepard?" Jack dug her feet under the blanket and out of sight self-consciously.

"Nothing. I just think it looks nice on you. It's a good color."

"Oh," her voice seemed to be almost thoughtful. "Wait. You ain't a gay are you?"

Shepard did a double take, "What?"

"Well you're checking out the color of my nails and shit. I was just wonderin'."

He exhaled, irritated with her comment. Shepard rolled onto his side facing away from her and getting comfortable under the blankets. "Goodnight, Jack."

Jack shook her head, eyes widening and mouth opening slightly. "Hey Shepard, it was an innocent question." Her brow furrowed in concern, "Didn't mean nothin' by it. Honest."

Shepard was silent for a moment, a hidden smile on his face. "I know. It's alright. Goodnight, Jack."

The biotic stared at him as the light on his side of the bed went out. "Yeah, it is late I guess. Night."

Shepard saw her light go out and could feel her body turn and adjust itself to get comfortable on her side of the bed.

Minutes passed in total darkness and silence when suddenly Shepard felt warmth press against his back. Jack had slowly been moving herself to his side of the bed. Without a word she carefully placed her back against the length of his, careful not to wake him.

Unbeknownst to her, he'd been awake the whole time.

He could feel the tenseness in her muscles quickly settle into a relaxed state as she softly released a breath she seemed to have been holding. Moments later, between the warmth they produced, the coldness of the room, and the softness of Shepard's comforter, he could hear a gentle snore echo softly throughout the cabin. She was asleep.

With a smile on face, it wasn't long before he followed in her path.

[End Five: Moments of Softness]


	6. Preparations

_Disclaimer: The Mass Effect Universe and everything in it belongs to BioWare._

_A/N: A quick thank you to everyone who's put this story on their alert list, and to those who've left reviews! If you're curious to see Jack's outfit, just refer to an image of the DLC content that can be purchased for her, Thane, and Garrus._

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[Six: Preparations]

Shepard for the first time in a long time awoke peacefully. He blinked away the grogginess and allowed the dim lighting of his cabin to flood in. It was time to get up. The clock he kept on his end table read 9:00AM. It was way later than he usually slept, so with a heavy yawn he turned onto his back, instantly looking for the form that slept by him all night.

Fornax was there. _She_ wasn't.

Shepard rubbed his face then propped himself up into a sitting position. "Jack," he called out casually.

"Yeah?" her uninterested voice called back.

Shepard had to lean over a bit to look around at the open bathroom door, "I was just wondering if you were still around."

Jack smirked, applying the signature lipstick that made those luscious lips pop out even more. "Scared I'd hit it and quit it, Shepard?"

John leaned back onto his pillows and chuckled, closing his eyes for a moment. "I don't recall anything getting hit last night, Jack."

Without warning a small tube of lipstick hit him square between the eyes and with enough force for him to slightly jump in shock. "What the—"

"Don't be a dick. You know what I meant."

He rubbed the area with a soft grumble then put the tube on the nightstand beside him. He deserved that. "So did you sleep well last night?"

She nodded, finishing up with the mirror then returning to sit on the edge of the bed facing him. "Yeah, it was alright I guess."

"Good. I'm glad." He smiled at her with such sincerity it made Jack look away.

"Hey," she continued, "I've been up for about forty minutes so I put our clothes in the wash. They should pretty much be done by now. Just needa get em' from the dryer."

Shepard looked at her in awe, his tone obviously playful, "Doin' my laundry now, _woman_?"

"Shut the fuck up," she spat with sudden anger. "I just don't wanna' walk around with someone who smells like a Krogan just croaked up their ass."

He fanned the fire, "So you're planning to at _least_ hang around me today then?"

Her eyes blazed, "If you want me to go then just fucking say so, Shepard!" She had gotten up and turned to leave and with as quick a reaction as he could afford he reached out to clasp her wrist gently, telling her exactly what he wanted. "No. I would love it very much if you would stay with me at least for a while more."

He'd never been that tender with words before. And he especially never used the word _love_ in a sentence – in any context. Jack found herself swallowing lightly. She didn't turn to look at him, but she didn't pull her wrist away either. "Then quit dickin' around and just let me finish this, alright?"

He released her, smiling softly. "Alright."

**xxxxxxx**

The next thirty minutes passed slowly much to Shepard's delight.

Jack, although having just washed her old outfit, surprised Shepard when she wore the latest outfit they had acquired for her. Low cut, hip hugging blue jeans, heavy black boots with buckles up and past her knees, a black tank-top with a low 'U' shaped collar that was cut off beneath her bellybutton, and a trendy black matching vest. She decided to add a little kick to the clothing choice by putting on a long, black glove and bicep brace to her right arm as well as an expensive visor that concealed the emotions in her eyes well.

Shepard on the other hand, went with the simple choice of dark jeans, brown work boots, and a white zip up sweater that flattered his well toned torso. It was easier for him this way. He wouldn't have to lift his arms to take anything off.

Jack sat at his terminal and watched as he made his way to the bathroom and began to shave. She turned it on and began to fiddle around.

"So you gonna' finally visit Chakwas today? Or are you gonna' keep walking around whimpering like a hurt dog?"

Shepard half grinned as he worked the laser trimmer around his stubble. "Yeah, it was the first thing I was going to do today as a matter of fact."

"Good," she said, a hint of concern actually coming out. When she realized it she felt compelled to add, "…because you know, it gets old hearing you bitch bout'it."

He snorted as a wide smile crept onto his face. "I'm so sorry for showing human weakness, my Queen. It'll never happen again."

She turned to face him, facial expression as serious as it could be. "Damn right I'm the Queen and don't you ever forget it."

While he continued to carefully shave Jack decided to be nosey and go through current messages he had received. _"The big lug did say to feel free and look around," _she thought. With a few quick strokes she found herself inside his old messages. Some subject titles bored her as she ran over the titles in her head, _"Distress signals, anomalies to investigate, thank you letters, directions from the Illusive man, requests from the alliance, blah, blah, blah,…Mordin's suggestions?" _ Jack opened the message.

*** [Recently Viewed Message] ***

[. . . . . . . One Moment Please. . . . . . . .]

/[Retrieving Message]/

[Open] [Delete] [Save] [Mark as Unread] [Mark as Read]

Jack clicked Open.

**[View Attachment]**

**[Download Vid]**

_/[[ Commander,_

_As stated I have sent a list of suggested items in attachment of message as well as electronic relationship aid vid. Also sent locations and prices of each individual product. As seeing partner is capable of high powered biotics, suggest purchasing biotic inhibitors first. Most important for obvious health concerns. Would not want pelvis to be detached in any sense: am sure would cause severe discomfort. _

Jack raised an eyebrow, curiosity clearly at its peak. She read on.

_Before attempting sexual intercourse, recommend stopping by medical lab to ascertain recommended oils and ointment for possible biotic burns. Once again, recommend extreme caution. Check label for contents. Would not want allergic reaction. Though am 92% sure should not cause harm._

_Feel free to download and observe the vid I have provided. _

_Included are positions comfortable and pleasuring for both parties, as well as the possible benefits biotics could provide to sexual relationship. Includes: Still framed holos, follow along vids, and inventive suggestions for the mass effect field._

_Enjoy_

_~Dr. Mordin Solus_

_/[[Message End]]/_

Jack checked over her shoulder in a nonchalant manner, making sure Shepard was still busy with his shaving. He was. She stared at the "Download Vid" option as she bit her lower lip, _"Eh. Why the fuck not."_ She casually clicked the link and watched as the tiny orange bar filled up quickly indicating it had already finished its download process.

Jack clicked '_open'_. Inside were three possible options for: Still framed holos, follow along vids, and inventive uses for the mass effect field. She bit her lower lip a little harder as she clicked 'Inventive Uses for Mass Effect Fields'. Another small drop down box appeared. '[Demonstration Vid [BioticMale x NormFemale], Demonstration Vid [Biotic Female x NormMale], Demonstration Vid [BioticMale x BioticFemale], Word Manual, Techniques broken down, Reference links.'

"_How much of this shit did Mordin send?" _Jack was impressed at the amount of information presented to her as she eyed over each option carefully. She decided upon 'Demonstration Vid [BioticFemale x NormMale].'

The terminal screen went black for three seconds before the demonstration video began.

Jack couldn't help but tilt her head to the side as she watched, _"That…I didn't know you could…" _ Her eyes began to widen as she slowly lifted up her visor and rested it on the top of her head to watch. It wasn't long before loud screams of ecstasy from both parties filled Shepard's room—the source from his terminal.

In the background a sharp '_Buzzzz'_ was heard followed by a loud '_FUCK'._ Shepard has just burned his chin with the laser cutter. He threw it down into his sink and ran out into his bedroom. "What the he—" His eyes went wide, looking at the image on the screen then down to Jack who was completely immersed in its production.

"Shepard, did you know biotics could _do_ this shit?" Her grin was wide, "I mean I've done some good stuff before…but this…this is _good."_

". Jack—no— how'd you get into that," he stuttered then took a deep breath trying to regain his wit.

Jack turned her head to look over her shoulder, but her eyes were still glued to the screen. "Ya' said I could look around whatever I wanted. I got curious about—" The woman in the vid release a low throaty moan. "…whoa."

Shepard blinked. He stared at the screen and found himself tilting his head much like Jack. After another minute the vid stopped, the screen went black, and then proceeded to revert to its options menu. The two stared at the terminal for another few moments before Jack turned in her chair to face him. She quirked a brow, "You're uh…bleeding there, champ." She wiggled a finger around her own chin to tell him where.

Shepard shook his head and looked at her. He reached to his chin and dabbed off some of his blood, "Awesome." He turned to get a piece of tissue from the bathroom then appeared back with it stuck to his face.

Though he wasn't happy about the circumstance, he was pleased to hear Jack…giggle?

"Remind me to ask you about these "suggestions" later. But for now let's go get you patched up," she stated in a tone that could have easy passed as happy.

Shepard contemplated her for a moment then smiled and nodded. "Right after you."

Jack hopped off her seat and firmly nodded once, the black visor that rested onto her head falling forward and into its proper place. She walked to the door and smashed the green button.

**xxxxxxx**

The pair took the rocking elevator to level three.

"If this shit breaks down with me in it I'm gonna be pissed, Shepard."

He let out a small chuckle, "Edi wouldn't let that happen. Besides, it's been working just fine all night and we're heading out to the Citadel today for some repairs and shopping."

Jack eyed him. "Shopping?"

John leaned back against the elevator wall and nodded. "Yep. Gotta get a new armor suit, take Tali and Miranda to shop for parts, restock on all necessities, and see if there's a new display program for EDI. I wanna give her a better holo. She's been stuck as that—"

"- giant bumpy blue eyeball on a stick?" Jack cut him off.

Shepard laughed. "—Exactly."

Jack was somewhat pleased she evoked that emotion from him. "Is it alright if I wander around when we dock?"

Shepard raised a brow and considered her words. "I didn't take you as one for sightseeing."

"I ain't. Just wanna' get off this ship for a bit."

He grinned, "Fair enough."

**xxxxxxx**

When the elevator doors opened, it revealed a surprisingly calm level three deck. People were casually talking at tables, eating breakfast, or discussing work that had to be done and methods in which to complete their tasks. Everyone tried their best to not eyeball the pair as they made their way to the Med Bay. Those that were unsuccessful in their attempts to not stare only got an eyeful of Jack growling at them.

_That_ made them get back to their own business.

"What the fuck is everyone staring at," she muttered under her breath, staying somewhat close to Shepard's side.

He grinned at her, simply shrugging and saying, "Well shit, with you being so damn pretty and all—"

Shepard didn't get to finish his sentence before a clenched fist closed in hard on his shoulder. He winced. "Come on, I need to get this thing checked out," he said, making his way through the bay doors and rubbing the soon to be bruise.

Inside Dr. Chakwas was sitting at her terminal and reviewing each newly released patient's record. Better safe than sorry.

Jack hopped up on a medical bed and wiped her itching nose. "Sup', Doc?"

Chakwas jumped a bit, never having heard her doors open. "Oh good heavens you startled me." She took a calming breath, "Commander? Jack? What can I do for the both of you?"

Shepard smiled at the doctor before clearing his throat to talk, "It's just me actually. I think I may have cracked a rib or two yesterday."

Chakwas stood from her seat and walked up to Shepard. "Can you remove your shirt for me," she had asked in her strangely comforting accent.

He nodded, unzipping his sweater and letting it fall down his arms to where he just caught and gripped it in his hands. Jack admired the view from the back. She wasn't going to deny that when Cerberus rebuilt him, they rebuilt him the _right_ way. His back was gorgeous even with all those large pinkish scars. And his stomach? It was flat as it could possibly be and hard enough to sand down a wooden plank. Were it any other kind of woman they would have most likely swooned. But Jack? She just gave a cock of the head and a mischievous smile.

Chakwas frowned at her commander, "You should have come to see me sooner, John." She went over the area with tender hands.

He cringed, hoping not to hear Jack say—she chimed in, "Told you."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah. You did."

Shepard looked over the doctor. "Sorry…it was just so busy yesterday. The crew, you included, had gone through so much already. They needed the medical attention more."

Chakwas shook her head, "And we are _your_ crew; if our commander expires from a collapsing lung who would want us then, John? What ship would be board and call home?" She eyeballed him. "See where I'm going with this?"

He chuckled lightly, "I do; Point taken and thank you."

Jack had a sudden look of panic strike her facial expression. Thank God for her visor. "…die? A-are his breathers okay?"

Shepard looked over to her and raised a brow. "Careful there Jack, or you just might sound concerned for me."

Dr. Chakwas shook her head, allowing small chuckle to leave her lips. "No my dear, he's quit alright I believe. It was just a figure of speech. Now, let's just toss him onto the scanner now shall we?"

Jack got up and walked over, clasping his arm and getting ready to quite literally toss him. The action was surprisingly innocent. She just wanted to help.

John eyed her. "Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"…what are you doing?"

"She said that we needed to toss you…on…" she released him and looked away, not allowing them to see the slight pink that came to her cheeks. "Nevermind." She walked out of the med bay without saying anything further.

"Jack," Shepard began to call out, but Chakwas stopped him.

"Leave her be, John. She's most likely just embarrassed. She'll cool over. But it _was_ rather…cute."

Shepard snickered. "Yeah, it was."

Chakwas helped him into the body scanner. He had been right: two cracked ribs. After a few minutes the good doctor had ointment spread across the bruise and a firm wrap around his midsection. She handed a small bottle of pills to aid in the healing process then patted him on the shoulder, "All set and ready to go, Commander. And please, next time if something bothers you come see me as soon as possible."

Shepard wrapped her up in a hug, lifting her lightly off the ground which sent her in a girlish squeal of delight. "Commander, stop! You'll hurt yourself!"

It did hurt. He didn't care. Shepard whirled her around once then smiled. "Thank you."

Chakwas adjust her suit and fixed her hair, "Any time, John."

Shepard turned to leave the bay, dressing himself as he did so.

"Oh Commander," Chakwas interrupted, "Will we be arriving at the Citadel today?"

He turned around and nodded, "I was just about to go speak with Tali regarding the engine. Why?"

Chakwas grinned. "I feel the need for another bottle of brandy."

The Commander let out an amused laugh, "You'd better get two."

**xxxxxxx**

When Shepard had arrived at the engineering deck he saw them hard at work playing _cards_. Legion hovered above Kenneth and Gabby observing in fascination. The Commander leaned against the wall and shook his head. "Working hard?"

Kenneth nearly jumped out of his skin, standing up lightning fast and pulling Gabby up behind him. "Commander! It's not what it looks like."

Shepard looked at the cards spilled around the table.

Kenneth winced. "Okay maybe it _is_ what it looks like. But it's all in good fun and we've finished altering the specifications to the engine and core!"

Gabby spoke up, "Shut up Kenneth, you're talking to the Commander to much."

Kenneth pursed his lips and squint his eyes, not wanting to speak anymore.

Shepard laughed at the pair, "Relax you two. I just came down to see if everything was ready. There was never a doubt in my mind that you all would get it done."

They seemed to relax.

Legion looked up to Shepard. "Shepard Commander, if it was the Creator that you sought then you have missed your opportunity. She is consuming her daily morning essentials and has left to her quarters to complete the task."

Kenneth shot a glance at Legion then leaned in to mutter to Gabby, "Why couldn't he just say 'breakfast'."

Gabby grinned.

Shepard nodded, "Thanks, Legion. I'll leave her be then and just make my way to the cockpit. Be listening for the announcement."

"Shepard Commander."

"Commander." The pair nodded their goodbyes as Shepard left, going back up to Deck two and towards the Cockpit.

**xxxxxxx**

When Shepard entered the pit, he couldn't help but laugh at the scene before him. Joker was attempting to work on Edi's sense of humor. Her holo stared back blankly at the piolet as Joker rubbed his eyes then swiveled his chair to face the Commander. "Hey, Commander. I was just trying to improve on Edi's social behavior. It's not working out as planned."

Shepard shook his head, "Are you sure _you're_ the one that should be helping with that?"

Joker glared lightly, "Hey. I'm a pretty good person to have at party – and don't you forget that!"

The Commander raised his hands, "Alright, alright. So…what have you been working on exactly?"

Edi turned her holo to face John. "Would the Commander like to hear a joke?"

Shepard blinked. "I…uh, sure?"

Joker groaned, "We were _just_ talking about timing Edi! You can't just ask someone if they—"

Edi cut him off, "The Commander has agreed to my proposition. I do not see a problem, Jeff."

Joker mumbled under his breath, "Shocking."

Edi fixed her 'sight' once again on Shepard. "Is the Commander ready for the joke?"

Shepard grinned, leaning against the frame of the cockpit's entrance. "Go for it, Edi."

"A rare but still practicing human Buddhist walks up to a—"

"Edi!" joker gasped out, hands flailing in the air, "…don't just go out spitting random bits of information in a joke! It's suppose to be direct and to—"

Shepard waved him off, "Let her say it, Joker. This is actually kind of interesting."

Joker growled.

EDI acknowledged. "Thank you Commander."

"Continue, please."

"As I was saying: A rare but still practicing human Buddhist walks up to an interactive food vendor. The Buddhist points at the selection he wishes to consume and says, '_Make me one with everything_.' "

There was a moment of complete silence and then, much to Edi's artificial delight, Shepard began to laugh out loud. Even Joker couldn't help but let out a chuckle – which was soon covered with a cough.

"Edi! I'd most definitely say you're coming along."

"Thank you, Commander."

Joker rolled his eyes, "Yeah so it was a decent joke, I'll give you that."

"Thank you, Jeff."

Shepard exhaled, finally remembering what it was he came to say. "Ah yes, the engine seems to be ready to go for our departure. Joker, make way for the Citadel – but take it _easy_."

"AyeAye Commander, setting course for the Citadel."

"Edi, make an announcement to the ship for me."

Throughout the Normandy Edi's voice rang out, "We are beginning our course to The Citadel. Upon docking, Commander Shepard would like to see his squad by the entrance and ready to go. He will give further instruction when docking. Have a good afternoon, Normandy crew. Destination arrival in one hour."

[End Six: Preparations]

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_A/N: Lmao. I really hope you got that joke. I know it makes me laugh. But then again I could just be really, really lame._


	7. Imperfect

_Disclaimer: The Mass Effect Universe and everything in it belongs to BioWare._

_A/N: I had never really given Miranda much thought in Mass Effect 2 until I finished my second play-through of the game. I like her now, methinks. Let's see how I make the puppets dance._

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[Chapter Seven: Imperfect]

Miranda threw her body across her bed and hid her head underneath a rather fluffy pillow. Her room was always so quiet. Sometimes she kind of hated it, and this day was no exception. "Bloody hell! The ship is practically falling apart and this room is _still_ quiet."

Kelly sat at the edge of bed and offered a sympathetic face, "Ms. Lawson maybe—"

Jack laughed from the doorframe, visor covering the smug look in her eyes. "Aww, is the Cheerleader tired of hearing the voices in her head?"

Miranda shot up from her bed into a sitting position. Her eyes narrowed, "Why are you here, Jack? And most importantly – what do you want?"

Kelly cleared her throat and pointed to the door. "I'm going to go. We'll talk later if needed, okay?"

Jack folded her arms as she moved into the room to plop down on the chair by Miranda's window, lifting her feet and placing the dirty boots on top of the operative's desk. "Chill the fuck out." She folded her arms behind her neck and rested her head back. "Deck three sucks so I wanted to slip into a quieter place." The truth was she wanted to get away from Shepard who was more than likely looking for her. She was still embarrassed about wanting to 'toss him into the scanner' and figured that this would be the best spot to hide.

Miranda widened her eyes, "_Slither_ would be a more appropriate term, and what _possibly_ made you consider my office? A place where you _know_ I always am."

Jack shrugged, "Look Precious_, _I just didn't want to be out _there _with all of _them_. Plus, the light bulb in my room went out."

Miranda squint her eyes towards the bald woman, "The light in the cargo deck never goes out."

Jack smirked, "It does if you smash a cot against it."

"And why the hell would you—you know what nevermind."

"Look, I ain't got no problem with you. Between your _shitty_ help on Pragia, the suicide mission, and flippin' the ol' Illusive Man off, that's enough for me to be civil."

Miranda made a small look of distaste. "_This_ is you being civil?"

"What," Jack grinned, "Were you expecting me to bring flowers and a fuckin' _cup'o tea_?" she attempted to mimic the Australian.

Miranda rubbed her temples, not even trying to explain that she wasn't British. "Look Jack. I appreciate the whole trying to play nice act, but the ship is expected to dock in an hour and I'd like to nap before we land."

Jack snorted, "Yeah, that's _obviously_ what you were doing when I got here. Unless you like napping with other girls?"

Miranda did a double take. "What?"

"Well shit, you said you wanted to nap. With Kelly practically up your ass I thought maybe that's what you were getting at."

Miranda's face turned to one of sheer disgust, "She's the ship's councilor for heaven's sake, Jack."

"So you _are_ having issues then huh, Cheerleader."

Miranda groaned loudly, throwing herself back onto her bed. "What does it matter?"

Jack rolled her eyes, "It don't. Not saying I care, just saying you shouldn't act like there ain't nothing wrong when there clearly is."

The operative propped herself onto her elbows, eyes narrowed once more. "You should listen to your own advice more often."

Jack glared. "Fuck you."

"You're the one who said it, not me."

Jack and Miranda played staring contest until the ex-convict's curiosity got the better of her, "So what is it? More daddy issues? Younger sister getting' hitched before the older more _wrinkly_ one?"

Miranda rolled her eyes. "No and no…and I don't have wrinkles."

Jack egged her on, "Then what the fuck?"

Miranda sighed loudly, falling back onto her bed and staring up at her ceiling. Moments passed with no words. She didn't know why her mouth opened to speak, but it did and much against her will. "I…I don't exactly know."

Jack cocked a brow. "What? Miss Perfect don't know what's wrong?"

Lawson ignored the statement, "It's not physical. I'm healthy as I can be."

"Well shit, Cheerleader, you got so many _implants_ in you I don't doubt that one bit."

Miranda scowled. "Hey. _These_ are real."

The bald woman cackled, "Sure keep telling yourself that, Princess."

The operative covered her face with her hands and let out what sounded to be a mix of a sigh and groan.

Jack smiled smugly at herself, twisting her chair from left to right in her own amusement. "So if it ain't daddy and if it ain't little sis'..."

"Look Jack, I already said I didn't know."

"Well shit, why don't you shut the fuck up while I think then?"

Miranda held back the urge to smash Jack's face in with a biotic punch.

"Okay. It ain't daddy. It ain't the brat. You don't like the quiet because then you're forced to hear the fucked up shit in your head and you just can't seem to point out what's wrong..."

Miranda lifted her head to observe the thinking Biotic. "…Jack?"

"Well I think its fuckin' obvious now, Cheerleader."

Lawson sat up again, holding her hands in her lap. She didn't really care to hear it, but was curious none-the less. "…And what did you determine, _Doctor Freak_?"

Jack snorted in an amused fashion, "There ain't _nothing_ wrong with you. Sounds to me like you're just feeling lonely. Hell, maybe you just needa' get laid."

Miranda sighed, rolling her eyes. "Bullshit."

Jack stood from her seat and smirked. "No it ain't. You been so wrapped up in Cerberus for years, givin' them this and doin' that, _bendin'_ over when the Illusive Man barked."

Miranda's face contorted in disgust. "Jack, stop being fowl and just _go_."

"Yeah I'm goin' – but answer me this: Now that all _that_ is gone, what are doing with yourself? What's the purpose that makes the fire behind the eye sockets burn?"

Miranda froze, eyes seeming to search for an answer that she could not give the bald woman. Lawson was a woman that liked to know where she fit in the world; it had always given her meaning in how and why she was created. But now that she removed herself from that place…where did she belong? How did she fit in the grand scheme?

Jack grinned. "S'actly what I thought. Later, bitch." The biotic stretched, groaning happily in the process, "Gotta go anyways, Shepard's prolly' thinking I threw myself out an airlock. Shit. I should have just done _that_ instead of coming here to this pity party. Ah well, whatthefuckever."

**xxxxxxx**

Miranda clenched the fabric of the bed before lowering her elbows to rest on her knees and placing her head in her hands. She rubbed her face with all ten digits. _"Is Jack right? Am I empty? Lonely?" _Miranda breathed in and out slowly, going over the words in her head. _"And since when did she become a damn therapist—why am I even considering a word that psycho had to say?"_

The operative exhaled then brought herself to her feet. She glanced around her empty and quiet room and felt as her face unwillingly turned to one of silent sadness.

Jack was right. Miranda, the perfect woman, was lonely and lost. It wasn't that she wasn't used to being alone, it was that in the last few months Miranda had changed drastically. Not only had she quit working for Cerberus, but she seemed to change her feelings on…well, _feeling_. Shepard taught her a lot about not only working with a team, but had taught her a lot about _herself_ through their frequent conversations. She was happy of the life she was able to give to her little sister. It was one full of relationships and possibilities, full of touch and conversation, full of love, choices, and heartache. Maybe Miranda had always wanted that as well but due to duties and obligations had never given herself the chance to explore the option. But with no ties, zero feelings for her old flame Jacob, and her only friends being people she worked with – what now? Where would she start? _How_ would she start?

Emptiness passed through Miranda's chest as she seemed to be only coming up with more questions and no answers. She frowned angrily at herself, hating when she felt weak or vulnerable. Suddenly Edi's voice echoed through the empty office, "Attention Normandy crew, we are docking at The Citadel now. Commander Shepard requests all crew and squad members to the entrance for further instruction. Thank you and be sure not to slip and break vital ligaments when unloading."

Miranda looked up at the intercom with a worried look and cocked brow.

"What the hell?" Lawson began to wonder out loud.

"Attention all Normandy Crew: That was a joke."

"I said to try and make them laugh Edi, not give them nightmares when they slee—"

Joker could be heard raging out in the background as the speaker went silent.

Lawson rubbed her eyes once more, putting on a business face then exiting her office.

[End Chapter: Imperfect]

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_A/N: So thaaaat's where Jack went when she left the Medical Bay._

_Any-hoo! Shorter Chapter for now, changing up the pace and preparing for development in the story. Next chapter is…long._


	8. A New Mission

_Disclaimer: The Mass Effect Universe and everything in it belongs to BioWare. _

_A/N: This Chapter was a pain to plan out. Once again, reviews and feedback would be loved. I'm still new at this fan fiction stuff, so any input would be highly appreciated._

_Warning: Some of you might hate me after._

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[Chapter Eight: A New Mission]

The entire Normandy crew gathered around Commander Shepard, watching as he fumbled and went through a small stack of data pads. After a minute of getting them straightened (and Jack commenting with an 'Oh for the love of God, Shepard'), John was ready to give out instruction, "Alright everyone, welcome back to the Citadel! However, please don't assume this is pure leisure. We're here to get some small jobs done and I expect them to be fulfilled on your behalf. When you _finish_ then go and have a little fun _without_ getting arrested."

Grunt and Garrus mumbled to each other under their breath and Shepard noticed, "That _especially_ goes for you two."

"Battlemaster, how deep could one Krogan and puny Turian possibly get?"

Garrus gave Grunt a whack in the arm. "Hey!"

Shepard peered at them both with eyes in slits.

Grunt exhaled with an attitude and Garrus averted his eyes beginning to whistle.

Shepard continued, "Now, I've prepared several data pads with individual assignments that I'm about to pass out. Those who get an assignment will also receive a credit chit with an allotted amount for the purchases in their entirety. Everyone understand?"

The Crew nodded or gave understanding mumbles.

"Excellent." He began to flip through his personal Data Pad. "Alright we'll start off with—"

Before Shepard could continue Thane interrupted and pulled him aside to speak. They talked for a few minutes, the Crew watching them in curiosity. Shepard would nod from time to time and say 'I understand' at others. Ultimately in the end, his eyes saddened but knew Thane was right. They both stood together before the crew. Krios took a step forward and gave a deep bow to them all. "My…_friends_… it has truly been an honor, but I feel that this is my time to say goodbye, to be with my son for the first time in a long time. So with fond memories and great pride I say farewell. Should higher-powers grant me an extended life, know that if ever you should need me, you require only to call and there I shall be."

Half the crew looked confused, but the other half that knew what was going on looked disappointed. Those closest to him came up to give their handshakes or hugs before Krios turned and exited the ship. He would be sorely missed.

There was a brief silence before Zaeed stepped in next. "Hell that was better than I was going to say."

Shepard blinked at him. "You too?"

"Sorry Shepard, it's been a hell of a good time but I did what I said I'd do. Now the credits stopped coming and that means I get lost."

He turned to the crew, trying to give some big speech like Thane. He blinked blankly for a moment then said, "Ah sod it, I never really liked you all anyways. Squishy bunch. Cept' for the Krogan and Tattoos over there."

Jack rolled her eyes and chose to ignore anything else he had to say.

Shepard laughed, always having appreciated his obscure sense of humor. In a friendly gesture he extended his hand. "Hate to see you go, but you were very clear when you came aboard. Thanks for staying till the end, Zaeed."

The mercenary took him by forearm and shook it proudly. "Good times, Shepard."

Zaeed nodded to the rest then headed out into the universe.

With a loud exhale, Shepard looked to all the data pads. "Well then, anyone else?"

A few crew members gave him an appreciated chuckle. Shepard nodded his head then looked down, "Alright then back to work." He extended each said data pad as he spoke, "Jacob, Kasumi, and Mess Sergeant to pick up much needed food supplies. Please do not forget about Tali this time. The woman needs variety."

Tali blushed feverishly behind her visor.

"Mordin and Dr. Chakwas to restock medical supplies – and a few extra credits for that brandy," he winked.

"Legion and Samara both expressed wishes to stay aboard the Normandy, I will grant that request—so that means that Grunt and Garrus… you gotta' pick up the armor suit I just ordered. Everything is on this data pad, just follow it to the T and you're good to go."

"Jack, stock up on ammunition. When you're done then feel free to wander around."

"Joker, I got something special for Edi and your job is to pick it out. So be good about it."

Jeff looked confused as Shepard tossed him his data pad. When he was finally able to see what Shepard was talking about, his lips spread into a wide grin. "Aye, Commander."

"Tali, take Kenneth and Gabby with you to pick up whatever parts you feel you need for the ships interior. Also, make sure you're _all_ supervising the repairs being made to the Normandy over at the Engineering Dock. Don't worry about the cost; I put enough on that chit to feed a colony for months."

"And that meaaaaans…" he smiled at Miranda, "You're with me. As Second in Command, I figured you should be there with me on important issues. I got a message from Anderson about thirty minutes ago. I'll explain it as we go along."

Lawson nodded in her usual professional manner. "Commander."

"Alright team, the assignments are out there – let's get to it!"

**xxxxxxx**

They all unloaded off the Normandy, splitting up into their assigned groups and wandering off in separate directions. Shepard looked over to Jack and gave her a 'see you soon' smile. She pretended not to notice and just rubbed the back of her neck before going off to buy the ammunition.

John felt a hand on his shoulder. "Sir, what was it you wanted to brief me of?"

Miranda backed up a step or two, pulling out her own personal data pad and prepared to take notes.

Always business that Miranda.

Shepard massaged his forehead with his thumb, middle, and pointer finger. "Got a message from Anderson just a little bit ago that stated the Blue Suns might be transferring over a precious package to an unknown source."

Miranda looked up from her pad. "Precious package, sir?"

"As I am to understand, the item is worth nearly twenty million credits."

"Any information on what it might be?"

"Anderson felt the need to brief me in person and didn't want to send the information via terminal. Whatever it is, it must be important."

"Sounds like we should head over right away."

Shepard sighed, "I swear. Save the galaxy – _twice_, and _still_ don't get a day off."

Miranda snickered, "Just another day in the life, Commander."

"Guess it is, Lawson, guess it is…let's go."

**xxxxxxx**

**[Grunt and Garrus]**

"_I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite store on the Citadel."_

Garrus rubbed his temple while Grunt groaned loudly. The Krogan eyeballed the intercom system and turned his hands into hard fists, "…if I hear that _one_ more time…"

Garrus patted him on the shoulder. "Easy, Fluffy. Let's just get the stuff on Shepard's list so we can get out of here."

The Krogan pulled out the data pad and shoved it at Garrus. "Here."

Garrus sighed, "Fine. Let's see…Kestrel branded helmet, torso sheath, shoulder piece, and hip mounted power pack." He raised a brow, "Snazzy stuff, Shepard."

The pair walked up to the Salarian salesman. "Hey, we had an order placed here not to long ago under the name of Commander John Shepard of the Normandy SR2." Garrus extended the pad to show receipt information.

The Salarian accepted the pad to review, "Ah yes. The armor is finished; however your Commander did not specify a wanted color. I can give it to you as is, but color is part of the purchased package. I recommend taking action."

Garrus thought before opening his mouth, "Well he never really said—"

Grunt smacked him across the chest, taking over the rest of the sentence. "Stupid Turian, of course he did!"

Garrus eyeballed him.

The Salarian waited for their response. "And what color choice did the Commander prefer?"

Grunt leaned onto the counter, a wicked smirk crossing his lips. "Pink. _Neon_ Pink."

Garrus joined in on the grin. "Ah yes, I remember now."

**xxxxxxx**

**[Jack]**

"_I'm Commander Shepard and this is my Favorite Store on the Citadel."_

The biotic clenched her jaw, tapping her fingers on the counter at the ammunitions dealer. "_Jesus Christ, Shepard."_

The human noticed her impatience and tried his best to hurry. This woman made him uneasy. While he stuffed crates of ammo, he tried his best to make friendly conversation hoping to keep the woman at bay, "Y-you know, Commander Shepard himself stopped by here once to buy some weapon upgrades…"

A Turian walked through the entrance and Shepard's signature sells promotion went off again. Jack turned to glare at the offending body then peered needles into the human salesman, "You don't. Fuckin'. Say?" Every word oozed with annoyance.

The other human could see his time was running short as he topped off the last of the crates. "C-credit-chit pl-please?" He winced as he held his hand out.

Jack pulled the chit out of her back pocket and tossed it at the man who fumbled trying to catch it.

The Salesman processed and sent the receipt to Commander Shepard's personal terminal aboard the Normandy, "T-Thank you, ma'am. I'll have these d-delivered to your ship right away." He placed the chip on the counter then held his hands together. Jack slammed her hand on the chip then scooped it up and put it back into her pocket, turning and leaving the store. She had been making progress. If she were in her usual mood, that store clerk might have been dead in a very large pool of blood right now.

Her job was now done and it was time to do what she'd been wanting to all day.

Usually the Human Embassy was for those with a "high status" in society. The kind of people who 'knew people' of other 'kinds of people' who could help you with 'certain kinds of problems'. Either that, or be really freaking rich. Jack was neither of those. But, the biotic went _where_ she wanted _when_ she wanted, and usually people got the hint to leave her the fuck alone. Especially the rich people; they didn't want to get themselves dirty or bruise their pretty faces.

And so, Jack had found a bench away from all the status elites, 'big dealer/high roller' commotion, 10k credit suits – and sat staring quietly out at the bright pinkish atmosphere through a giant window.

It was calm. She liked it.

**xxxxxxx**

**[Tali, Kenneth, Gabby]**

"_Keelah_, just let me do it!" Tali grabbed the wires and grumbled, working away at the I.E.S system. "Do you even know what an internal emission sink _does_, Mr. Cooper?"

The Citadel's Chief engineer stood back, wiping the sweat off his face. "I'm sorry Miss Tali, but The Normandy is practically a prototype! There's nothing like her, which makes this a little out of our field. We're trying, ma'am."

Tali mumbled to herself, annoyed with the human's ignorance of state of the art ships. "The heat generated by routine shipboard operations is easily detectable against the near absolute zero background temperature of space. The Normandy, however, is able to temporarily "store" this heat in lithium heat sinks deep within the hull."

Cooper leaned in; intrigued at the way she worked the wires.

"See," she went on "had you crossed _this_ wire with _that _wire – not only would we have been easily detectable out in the battle field, but once we engaged the system we'd blow up. Just—poof!"

Cooper blinked, his eyes we wide. "I'm glad you caught my mistake then, ma'am."

Tali exhaled, "That makes two of us."

Another Citadel engineer came up, data pad in hand. "Ma'am the repairs assigned to us are complete and the Normandy is looking good once again on our side. The receipt was mailed to your Commander's Terminal." Tali nodded, thanking the worker.

Kenneth and Gabby came up with happy grins on their faces. "Hey Tali, the new core repairs not only makes the Normandy quiet and fast again, but now she can run at FTL speeds for _much_ longer before having to discharge the drive," Gabby stated, proud that she was the one who lead the smaller team.

Tali finished with her currant task than stood up, looking over to her two team-mates. "Nicely done, Gabby! Kenneth, were you successful on your end?"

"Oh yes, Tali. I bought a mean bottle of whiskey." His face glowed, seeming ever so proud of himself.

Tali blinked, confusion etched behind her visor. "Bottle? Kenneth, I was talking about rebalancing the coefficients back to their normal settings."

"Oh that, yeah yeah no worries. All done— and fixed the shake in the elevator while I was at it too."

Tali reached in to grasp them both in a tight hug.

While in her embrace Kenneth whispered over to Gabby, "If she gets this _touchy-feely_ over fixing some simple coefficients, imagine what she'd do to me with a little Quarian friendly whiskey in her…"

Gabby groaned. "You're such a dick."

Tali sighed, "You know I can hear you both."

**xxxxxxx**

**[Joker]**

Joker had wobbled himself over to the programs center in hopes of finding a new holo for  
Edi. When he arrived a well dressed Asari greeted him, "Welcome to Ashnar's Center for Programs and Assorted Technologies. May I be of service?"

Jeff looked around the counters and the menu-holos glowing from the wall. "Uh yeah sure. Lemme' ask you somethin' Miss…?"

The Asari smiled, "You may call me Zia."

"Well lemme' ask you something, Zia. Do you sell any kind of program that applies custom made imagery to holos?"

Zia lifted a brow, "You mean you wish to alter a holo to fulfill a desired depiction?"

Joker pointed a finger at her, "Exactly! Got anything like that in the works?"

Zia pondered for a moment, "What program type would you be trying to alter, sir?"

Joker cleared his throat, "A ship's A.I default image."

The Asari blinked, eyebrows going up. "Sir you do realize that altering a program for an _A.I. _ holo is rather expensive?"

"What, do I look like a hobo—actually don't answer that. Zia, my friend, my wonderful saleswoman…I have the credits. The question is," Jeff leaned in, acting like he was taking part in smuggling drugs, "…do you got the goods?"

The Asari leaned in as well, confused at his sudden need to conceal their dealing. "I do, Sir, but…why are we talking like this?" her voice was low like Jeff's had become.

Jeff looked her in the eyes, shaking his head slightly with dead serious expression. "I don't know."

The now clearly annoyed saleswoman returned to her professional posture and extended her hand towards the back room. "If you'd please."

Joker followed her in and the Asari sat at a small table, clicking a button that hid under the lip of the surface. Within seconds particles of light went from the base up towards the ceiling in the shape of cylinder. It was a design program. Within the beam of light, you could construct the desired 3D shape of the holo you wanted. "Please, Sir, if you would take a seat opposite me."

Joker smirked at the program, taking his seat as instructed. "Alright, what do you need me to do?"

The saleswoman shook her head, "Nothing, simply state what it is you would like to see in your holo."

He thought for a second, "… where do I start?"

"Perhaps with the gender?"

"Female."

"Desired race?"

Joker snickered wickedly. "Oh this is going to be good. Let's see…human I guess."

"Body structure?"

"Average—no thin—mo voluptuous –NO!" Joker had to take a breath, "…athletic."

Zia sighed, "Final choice, Sir?"

"Yeah. Athletic."

The depiction of a pretty, athletically built woman came to life in the sphere.

"Specifications?"

"Uh… hair that's right above the shoulders and work attire like mine – but for a woman."

Zia observed his Normandy Crew outfit then input the data. Edi would wear a suit like Miranda's but sport the Normandy colors and logo.

"Yeah that's nice. Okay now make _those_ bigger. Just a little! Oh and the legs a little longer." The Asari sighed. "Yes, Sir."

Joker grinned widely. "Oh that's hot."

Zia felt the need to clarify something for her customer, "Sir, you _are_ aware that a holo is nothing more than a three-dimensional image, correct? A platonic relationship is just not viable."

Joker gave her a sarcastic smile and thumbs up, "Oh what would I ever do without you, Doctor Love! Your advice was _greatly_ needed! Do you also have suggestions for a lubricant I can use for when I dry hump the pedestal that holds her depiction?"

She got his point and offered an agitated voice in return. "Anything further, Sir?"

_If he had to be stuck in the cockpit with her all day, by God, he was going to give her an image worth staring at!_ With a small victory in hand, he nodded and thought for a second. "Sure, Doc. Above the logo on her attire, can you put the name Edi on her clothes?"

She mumbled. "Yes, Sir."

"Thank you, that'll be it then."

Zia transferred the program onto an insert-able chip. "Just install this at your A.I.'s core, and the rest should take care of itself."

Joker took the chip eagerly, placing it in a protective case then sliding it into his pocket. "So how much _does_ something like this cost anyways?"

Zia extended her hand and smiled widely—finally sensing her own small victory at hand, "65,000 credits sir, but with your added customization— 70,000."

"Seventy—whaaaaat?" Joker whimpered, extending his credit chit.

"Thank you so much sir, and have a _wonderful_ day."

**xxxxxxx**

**[Shepard and Miranda]**

The Commander and Miranda made their way towards the Human Embassy. On the way a weapons shop caught Shepard's eye. "Hey Miranda, I'm going to make a quick pit stop. Go on ahead; I'll meet up with you in five minutes."

Lawson nodded her head and continued on her way, "Yes, Sir."

John walked quickly in, knowing he still had business to do. But _this_ was important too.

"Excuse me," John started to ask the salesman, "What's the best shotgun model you have?"

The man, recognizing him off the bat, snapped to attention. "Commander Shepard! It's a pleasure to have you here, sir!"

"Thank you, Mr—?"

"Just call me Rodger, sir."

"Well thank you Rodger. Let's see if you can help me. Like I said, I'm looking for the best model you have to offer in the ways of shotguns. Can you show me what you have?"

"Yes of course! One moment!" He hurried off to the back, coming out only moments later with a HMWSG Master line. Shepard whistled when he saw it. Rodger grinned.

"Commander Shepard, this is the HMWSG Master Line Shotgun. She fires off with a 94% accuracy rating and shoots out seven times before needing to cool. However, I can offer you a top of the line upgrade that decreases cool down, and increases shots fired by five – at a discount."

Shepard sucked in his breathe through his teeth, letting out an inward hiss. "This is nice, Rodger. What's something like this with the upgrade going to run me?"

Rodger tallied it up, "Well normally it'd cost you about 95,000 credits – but I'll give it to you for 50,000 with the upgrade included."

Shepard beamed, "If I offer up an extra ten can you throw in a paint job on the outer shell and an engraving?"

Rodger put the gun on the counter and nodded. "Sure thing, Commander. What color would you like?"

John recalled the color of Jack's toe-nail polish, remembering she said she liked it. "Can you do a deep crimson red color with gold accents for show?"

Rodger nodded, "Not a problem at all, Commander. Let me get that done for you. It'll only take a minute."

The salesman grabbed the shotgun and took it towards the back for coloring and installation. The next time he came back out it was only his head peeking from the doorframe. "Sir, what would you like the engraving to say and where do you want it?"

"If I place it along the barrel, will it affect anything in anyway?"

"It shouldn't commander. The engraving is light and the platinum is top quality."

"Then can you put…"

**xxxxxxx**

Shepard had attached the newly bought shotgun to his back and made sure it was well covered with its new case so no one could see. After quick-walking towards his destination he met back up with Miranda, "Did you put in the request to see Anderson?"

Miranda was leaning against the railing, arms crossed as she waited. "Yes Sir, he should be arriving any moment now."

"Thank you, Lawson."

"Did you get what you needed from the weapons dealer?"

"I sure did."

Miranda then nudged her head in the direction of an oncoming Anderson. "He's here, Shepard."

John turned to greet his old friend, shaking his hand. "Admiral, glad to see you."

"Glad to see you too, Shepard, it was a hell of a mission you just accomplished. I wish I didn't have to ask this so soon but it's a delicate matter that I wouldn't hand over to just anyone. And I wish this visit wasn't just business but I'm afraid we have to get straight to it if we want any chance at intercepting the package."

"I'm listening, Sir."

"I just received some information from a reliable source that Blue Sun Mercenaries have taken hold of a biotic child prodigy that they plan to sell to a _very_ interested recipient. A recipient willing to pay twenty million credits. "

Miranda's mouth opened slightly, "A child? That's the package?"

Shepard shook his head. "Do we have any information on the Client?"

Anderson sighed heavily, "I'm afraid not, Shepard. That's what I need _you_ for. I have the location of the deal, but no information regarding the client. I need you to intercept the package and find out who this person is." The Admiral forwarded coordinates to Shepard via omni-tool.

John rubbed his eyes after hearing the news and then viewed the location. "Isolated planet, closed off base of operations, limited population, and Blue Sun activity. It sounds like a perfect haven for drug-runners, weapons-smugglers, pirates, mercenaries, terrorists, and human trafficking."

"Exactly, Shepard. Whoever has this interest in the child is obviously up to something and I _need_ you to find out what. If you leave today you'll reach the planet in five days time – the exact date the package is to be picked up."

The Commander scratched his chin, reviewing his omni-tool. "Understood, Admiral. As soon as the SR2 is up and in running condition, we'll make our way there. When the package is picked up, what do you want me to do?"

"Well first we'll have to contact any family the child _might_ have. Also, you already know of our Alliance school for the biotically gifted and mentally bright we have here. If you are to successfully recover the child, bring them back here and I'll have them fully implemented into the start of the program."

"Will do, Anderson. The Normandy crew will get on this right away."

The two men shook hands, going off in their separate ways afterwards. As they walked out of the meeting area Shepard turned to Miranda. "Lawson, I need you head back to the Normandy and make sure all crew are on board and everything that we bought is in place and ready to go. I'd like for us to leave as soon as the ship is ready. I'm going to find Jack. She had told me earlier she planned to wander around the Citadel and I think it'd be a good time to warn her of the mission coming up. It might remind her of…you know."

Miranda nodded her head in understanding. "Of course, Commander. I believe speaking with her first would be the best interest for us _all_. This operation may be a bit… delicate for her."

Shepard put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "Thanks for coming along today."

"No need to thank me, Shepard. I didn't really do anything."

"Of course you did. You made me feel more official what with my second in command running around behind me with a data pad."

Miranda rolled her eyes, "I'm off to the ship, Shepard. See you there."

John chuckled as he watched her leave. Time to find Jack.

**xxxxxxx**

John had only taken a small walk through the embassy when he noticed Jack sitting silently on a bench looking out the large window. He watched her for a moment. She looked serene and he kind of hated himself for having about to break that look, but this was something he needed to talk with her about.

He quietly walked up to the biotic and took a seat right next to her. "The atmosphere around here is nice, isn't it?"

Jack broke her gaze from the scenery to look onto Shepard, dark hazel eyes seeming to pierce right through him. "I guess it is, yeah."

John brought his eyes down for a moment not wanting to tell her the news but Jack caught on quickly and tilted her head, eyebrows beginning to furrow. "Shepard, you're really shitty at trying to hide something. So spit it out before you ruin my perfectly good mood."

"Nothing gets by you, does it?"

"Nope. Never."

He sighed, "We just got another mission, Jack. This time its Alliance based and coming straight from Admiral Anderson himself."

Jack smirked, "Fuckin' figures. We don't get a damn day off in this business. So who is it this time? What unstoppable force?"

Shepard looked her in the eyes. "It's more of a smaller scale operation that will most likely only taking two or three of us to complete." He didn't want to continue, and it showed all over his body language.

Jack raised her brows and leaned into him, wondering if he'd lost his tongue or just went mentally challenged. She was getting annoyed. "Well? What the fuck do we have to do?"

"Jack, in five days the Blue Suns will be delivering a package to an unknown receiver. We have to intercept that package and find out who the big man playin' is."

"Well that don't sound too bad, Shepard. What's the package? Guns? Bombs? Both?"

Undulation took over his brows as he thought. "A child."

Jack leaned back. "A kid?"

Shepard nodded. "A child that was recently discovered as a biotic prodigy."

Jack shook her hands at him. "Whoa, Shepard. The blue suns are fuckin' sellin' a _biotic_ _kid_?"

He could do nothing but nod sadly. "Yeah, Jack."

"Well ain't that deja-vu _all over_ again." She clenched her fists, sparks of black blue biotic mass starting to flicker. "…those…_motherfucks_. No. No, _FUCK_ that! They ain't doing this shit again and they're _not_ gettin' the kid. I've been there and done that and it _ain't_ happening." Jack stood up, the mass effect field dying as she did so. "What the fuck you waiting for, Shepard? Let's go!"

John stood up, reaching out and holding both of her forearms. She growled. "Jack. I _know_ what this means to you and we'll be leaving soon I promise, but we can't go until the ship is done with repairs. We'll get to the kid, don't worry. If we leave today, we'll get there perfectly on time – maybe even earlier."

Jack harshly shrugged off his arms. Her face contorted to one of pain, then anger, then nothing at all— however her eyes went crazy as she began to pace in small steps back and forward in front of the large window, "…No Shepard, you really don't get it. You ain't got no _clue_ what it's like when you're little and get stolen, and _sold_, and abused, and harassed, and used, and eventually _experimented_ on. You don't know what it's like to unwillingly be _doped_ up on drugs and pushed past the point of your bodies limitations for the sake of 'science and power'. You don't have a fuckin' CLUE what it's like to lose what you were and become this angry _thing_ that can't even remember her own mom's face," Jack stood still then, looking out the window, her voice was on the verge of cracking but somehow in the end, managing to keep a steady intonation. "…Or the name of the street she lived on… because for the past twenty four years of her life the only thing that has remained vivid in her head…is being hurt and wanting it all to just fuckin'…_stop_."

Jack grinded her teeth and hardened her eyes, refusing to let any sign of emotion leave her face. She was sad: Sad for the kid, sad for the things that could happen, sad for what the mission implicated, sad that she was reminded of a place she never wanted to think of again…and _none_ of it showed. Her tone was soft, hurt. But her face? Rock hard. "I…I can't have another _me_ out there, Shepard." Jack folded her arms under her breasts, trying to comfort herself with the little warmth they offered. "…ya' know?"

John stood there utterly and completely dumbfounded. He had expected her to react to the mission…but he would have never thought for the life of him that he'd hear _this_. In there months of traveling together, she never mentioned anything about her parents, or home, or what it was like _before_. Did she…remember anything? Shepard wanted to hold her. Wanted to kiss her closed eyes and tell her that it would all be alright in time. That while it hurts so deeply right now, eventually all wounds heal. And while we never forget them…we survive them. We carry them around like stones in our pocket, maybe once in a while overlooking its presence but at the end of the day still feeling and carrying their weight.

Shepard, not caring for personal safety, gently turned her around and took her by the hands guiding her to sit back onto the bench. It wasn't exactly an appropriate time, but he wanted to give it to her while they had the chance to be alone – and he so badly wanted to see her smile. He couldn't apologize, she wouldn't accept it. She didn't like to be pitied. So he did the only thing he could thing of at that given moment.

"Hey...I got you something."

Jack leaned back to view his face, relieved he changed the subject. She didn't want to talk about anything anymore. As it was, she was pissed at herself for going off on that ramble. "…What?"

He smiled softly, thankful to see that she accepted the change of conversation although he'd be sure to bring up the tender moment when they had their next chance at alone time. "I said I got you something."

Jack shook her head, "I don't want no gifts from you, Shepard. I ain't a fussy fussy girl beggin' to be pampered."

John grinned, "I know that. And what I have to offer isn't _for_ a _fussy fussy_ girl," he teased.

Jack pushed her tongue against the inside of her cheek, pursed her lips, and looked at Shepard with narrowed eyes. "Then what the fuck is it?"

Carefully Shepard detached the case from his back and presented it to her. "Happy Birthday," he said sarcastically but playfully.

Jack took the case into her hands and examined it before pressing the single button in the center which opened the airlock and lifted up the case lid.

Her eyes grew wide. "No you fuckin' didn't!" For the first time in a long time, Jack genuinely smiled a big, _beautiful_ smile – teeth and all.

Shepard couldn't help but return the gesture, glad it took her mind off what he had just told her, and her him—even if it was only for a minute. "You like it?"

"Hell _yes_ I like it!" She excitedly took the shotgun into her hands and aimed it, watching the gun unfold with the handsome whirring sounds that came with it.

But…something caught her eye as she looked down its sights.

Jack turned to gun onto its side to examine the barrel. Her eyes did all sorts of things: They went wide, small, softened, hardened, and finally glimmered. She bit her lower lip to stop it from quivering. Shaky fingers traced the words down the gun. She turned to look up at a gently smiling Shepard and then, without warning, crushed their lips together.

"_After all this bullshit he…still wants me…"_

John, while momentarily stunned, soon snapped out of it and brought his hand up behind her neck, taking the chance to deepen the rare moment before Jack backed down and returned to gazing at the gift.

Her voice was weak, but thankful. "…you dick," she said with a half smile on her lips.

Shepard chuckled lightly, repeating and agreeing with the words he'd put onto the barrel of the shotgun. "…worth the wait."

"_Come in Commander, this is Joker_." Shepard's portable ear communications system went off loudly ruining the moment. He sighed heavily. Back to business.

"I'm here Joker, what's up?"

"_The ship, the crew, repairs, and purchases have all been installed and are ready to go. We're just missing you and Jack_."

The pair stood up from their bench, starting to make their way back.

"Understood Joker, and we're on our way. Start her up and set destination to Planet Almos. Sending coordinates now. We're taking off as soon as Jack and I arrive."

"_Aye Aye, Shepard. See you on the ship."_

[End Eight: A New Mission]

* * *

_A/N: I totally love Thane and Zaeed (and Jesse of course). But story-wise, their decisions just seemed to make sense to me based on their circumstances._

_I know. I kind of hated myself too._


	9. The Child Prodigy

_Disclaimer: The Mass Effect Universe and everything in it belongs to BioWare_

_

* * *

_

[Chapter Nine: The Child Prodigy]

When the Commander and Jack finally loaded back onto the Normandy the whole crew was already waiting for them in the C.I.C, but the attention seemed to be on a very energetic Grunt and Garrus who were rambling away at each other.

Shepard made his way over to see what the problem was. "What's going on, you two?"

Grunt and Garrus both turned their attention. "Battlemaster, we've retrieved your new set of armor as instructed."

Shepard grinned, "I _knew_ you guys would pull through for me. Is that it right there? Let me take a look."

Garrus handed over the new case, trying to cover the laugh that was already threatening to come out.

John eagerly took it and gently pressed the small, red light, watching it go green then flip open. What he saw made it seem like he just witnessed someone kill his pet hamster. His face went pale, the color of the armor threatening to water his eyes with its brightness.

"…This is…i-it's pink…"

Jack held a fist to her mouth and looked down– damn those who could make her grin! She was _so_ going to give him shit for this later.

Muffled, child-like laughs could be heard throughout the C.I.C, followed by several '_shh's_ and playful but audible whacks.

Shepard looked up to Garrus and Grunt with a stunned but questioning gaze, raising the suit of armor to their faces and for all to see. "Why the hell is my armor pink? My old armor was _black_, my armor _before_ that armor was _black_—Garrus, when I _first_ met you my armor was—"

"—Black?" Garrus finished for him, arms crossed, hip cocked, and large grin on face.

Shepard put the suit only inches from the Turian and Krogan's face, leaning in with eyeballs in fiery slits. "…i-if you knew what color I wear...

What. Made you think. I would suddenly…want…_pink_?"

Grunt leaned in like a Krogan in for the kill, putting his face so close to Shepard's that he felt the man's breath. "_Payback_."

Shepard threw his hands out to the side, dropping the suit back into its case with a loud _thunk_. "What the hell did you need payback for! What'd I do?"

Almost as if planned and waiting, the entire crew around him responded, with the exception of Jack and Tali, _"I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite store on the Citadel."_

John could only do one thing: Facepalm.

_Touché, Normandy Crew. Touché indeed._

Joker's voice rang out in the C.I.C via intercom, "OooOoooooh, Commander! That color is going to make you look just precious, you _pretty, pretty girl_ you!"

This was going to be the longest five days of Shepard's life.

**xxxxxxx**

**Commander's Cabin**

**Same Day**

Shepard entered his private quarters, dragging his armor case behind him. He slumped it against the wall and released a heavy sigh. "…the store promotion wasn't _that_ bad…was it?" he asked himself out loud.

A somewhat amused Jack replied, "Shepard, it was the most annoying thing I've ever fuckin' heard in my _life_ – and believe you me, I've heard many things that have annoyed me." Her tone lightened, "But don't worry, maybe our enemies will die from laughter when they see you."

Shepard walked around to the livable half of his Cabin and grinned. "You must have gotten your PhD in Hilarity, am I right?"

Jack rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide her smirk. "Or maybe if we add some sparkles to it, you can do a little number and dazzle their eyes with the Cheerleader while I shoot?"

"Hilaaaaaarious. I should book you at some comedy clubs down at Illium."

Her smile got only bigger. "OR, if options one or two don't work, we can slap a pretty blonde wig on you and send you to Omega to make us some creds."

John winced and gave an inward hiss, "I don't think I'd make many credits…"

She looked him up and down, seeming disappointed at the sight. "Yeah…I think you're right. Well what if we—"

"—are you done yet!" he laughed out; surprised she'd been trying to make jokes and conversation this long.

"Fine…but you have to admit, that color really does make you wanna' bring out your inner fabulous huh, Shepard?" she grinned malevolently.

Shepard placed a hand on his now cocked hip and snapped his fingers with a diva-like quality.

"You do that a little _too_ well," she said, both surprised and confused.

"Oh what? You can make jokes but _I_ can't!" he asked, regaining his manly posture.

Jack raised her hands and backed down, "Whoa, chill out Sheperanda."

"Aaah I see what you did there," he said wiggling a finger at her, "Mixing mine and Lawson's name together. Cute, Jack—real cute."

"I thought so too."

Shepard moved towards her, trying to change the conversation. "So what are you doing?"

The biotic was laying on _his_ bed, propping herself up with _his_ pillows, and reading the rest of _his_ Fornax. "Eh, wanted to finish this. Fell asleep last time."

John sat on the bed by her, trying to take a peak at what she was reading. "I've never finished it myself. Anything interesting?"

She shrugged lightly, "Not really, but do you wanna see a Hanars' tentacle shoved up an Asaris'—"

John shook his head and hands in a fast pace, backing up to sit in his original position. "Aaaheeeeeh. No thanks."

Jack cocked a brow, "You squeamish or somethin', Shepard?"

He couldn't help but grin and look back at her. "I said I bought it because I was curious. I never said I bought it because the stuff _interested_ me."

Jack sounded disappointed with his response. "You must be boring as hell in bed."

Shepard looked at her, his grin widening. "Hey now, I'll have you know I've been called quite the gifted lover."

The biotic rolled her eyes. "It doesn't count if it came from a _virgin_, Shepard."

The Commander laughed, "Who said it was a virgin—and you know, what makes you the best judge!"

Jack flipped a page of the magazine, "I know plenty about makin' them scream."

Shepard stared at her with a raised eyebrow, "In pain, terror, or pleasure?"

Jack dropped the magazine down onto her lap and stared directly at him, an iniquitous smile on both mouth and in eye. "…Who says it wasn't all three?"

John squinted at her, trying to figure out if she was telling the truth. He couldn't. "…well played, Jack."

"Don't be a dumbass, Shepard. You should know by now that if you play a game with me you ain't gonna win."

He sighed, leaning back against the headboard of his bed. "Understatement of the century."

**xxxxxxx**

**Normandy Cockpit**

**Day 2 of Flight**

EDI's voiced chimed into Miranda's office, "Operative Lawson, Mr. Moreau would like to have a word with you."

Miranda, who was working away at her terminal, gazed up at the intercom. "I really need to get this work done, Edi. Did he tell you what it was concerning?"

"He did not. He simple expressed the wish to see you, stating it was quite urgent."

Lawson exhaled loudly and leaned back into her chair. "Very well, tell him I'll be there in a moment."

"Of course, Operative Lawson."

"Edi, you _really_ don't have to call me that anymore. I no longer work for Cerberus."

"Of course, Operative Lawson."

"I just said you—okay _nevermind_; I'm on my way to the pit."

Miranda made way to the cockpit quickly. When _Joker_ said it was _serious_, it normally meant that whatever it was – it must have been pretty bad. However, upon arrival, she noticed that Shepard wasn't present and that Joker was only swiveling around in his leather chair.

"_He must really love that chair," _Miranda thought as her brow quirked. "Mr. Moreau, you said it was an emergency? What seems to be the problem and …where's Shepard?"

Joker turned to her, "Miranda! Actually this is a problem only you can fix."

She eyed him. "Then what can I do?"

Joker leaned forward in his seat eagerly. "Say 'party'."

"What does this—"

"Nonono, Shhhh, Shhhhhh….just say 'party'."

Lawson squinted at him, trying to figure out what he was doing. "…Party."

Jeff muffled his laugh. "Say, 'Let's go to the party'."

"….Let's go to the party."

Joker broke out into uncontrollable fits of laugher.

Miranda narrowed her eyes and could no longer hide the annoyed undertone in her voice. "Okay Joker, what the hell?"

Joker inhaled then exhaled calming himself down and wiping a tear on his right eye. "I—okay I'm sorry. It's just with your accent it sounds like you say _potty_."

"Edi," began Lawson, "Can you ask Commander Shepard to start looking for a replacement pilot?"

"Of course, Operative Lawson—but may I ask why when Jeff is still most certainly here?"

She replied in a sing-song voice, "Oh because I'm about to throw him out the airlock."

"I will let Shepard know immediately."

"Thank you, Edi."

Joker's eyes became wide as the raven haired beauty hovered over him. "Oh shi—"

**xxxxxxx**

**Outside Jacob's Room  
Day 3 of Flight**

It was late—really late, and Garrus wanted to go to sleep badly. He'd been reviewing calculations on the Normandy's weapons system all day and now it was time for blissful rest. The tired Turian had made his way up to deck two to tell Jacob that he was done and to review how the Normandy's armor system was doing.

As he reached Jacob's office, Garrus heard him talking in a voice that reminded him of a lowly paid and poorly acting porn star. He couldn't help it, so he leaned in to listen.

"_Look at thiiiiis…sneaking into my quarters…heavy risk…but the priiiiiize…"_

Garrus removed his ear and stood there, dread and dismay clearly in eye and his overly-active imagination terrifying his mind. With quick steps, Garrus decided to skip the last part of his daily duty and go straight to his room— hearing Kasumi giggle-fit loudly as the elevator doors closed.

"Well _that's_ not going to give me nightmares," he said with a slight shudder.

**xxxxxxx**

**Engineering Deck**

**Day 4 of Flight**

Kenneth poured another round of amino-friendly whiskey around the table for Kasumi, Tali, Garrus, Mordin, Chakwas, Gabby, Miranda, and Jacob. The lot of them all counted to three before downing the small shot. Tali, however, took a little longer to catch up since she had to drink by pouring the liquid through a special port in her suit.

Kenneth leaned onto the table, cheeks pink and flustered. "Ya know, guysh, you're not a bad bunch'of lads n' lassies. Thish past week or sho has been nice, sho—cheersh!" The engineer poured yet another round, in which everyone cheered and then graciously downed.

Garrus eyed Tali who was sitting oddly erect in her seat—almost motionless. The Turian nudged Kasumi who then looked over to her as well and asked, "Are you okay over there, Tali? Ish the drinking holding up well?"

Miranda leaned over and placed a hand on the Quarian's shoulder, making her wobble like a buoy at sea. "Tali?"

Tali's bright eyes could be seen blinking behind her visor. "Ohmy…"

Chakwas lifted a brow, "My dear, how many have you had to drink?"

Gabby covered a small burp that left her mouth. "Ma'am she'sh only had those two…"

Suddenly the same question seemed to fill everyone except the two doctor's minds. Jacob was the only one vocal about it, "If…if she has to…you know, _upchuck_, w-where does that go?"

Mordin smiled as he bobbed gently from side to side, his eyes turning into their signature upside down U's. "Quarian suit very adaptable to bodily fluids and solids. Has separate section for _everything_."

All heads turned to look at Tali with horror stricken eyes.

"Guys," the Quarian said with a weak voice, "…I think I'm going to—" Tali began to look like she was dry heaving as she slumped over the table, Miranda stumbled up quickly in reaction to try and avoid the flying chucks—but nothing came out at her. Lawson blinked her pink, drunken eyes, while Dr. Chakwas got up and began to rub Tali's back, "There there, my dear, let it all out."

Kenneth, as if completely clueless to the poor Quarian, simply lifted his hands up high and the air and shouted "PARTY FOOOOOUL!"

**xxxxxxx**

**Commander's Cabin**

**Day 5 of Flight**

It was early afternoon and Shepard and Jack were eating lunch together on the bed in his cabin. Shepard began the conversation, "So, how's that shotgun treating you?"

Jack un-mounted it from her lower back attachment and put it on the bed, "Oh you mean Dirty Willy?"

Shepard raised an eyebrow, "…you…y-you named your gun Dirty Willy?"

"Yep," she simply responded, letting the last letter of the word pop loudly from her lips then resumed to shovel her face with food.

"Why the hell did you name your gun Dirty Willy?"

Jack grinned, "…because he's only got one eye and when he shoots…it gets messy."

Shepard threw his head back and let out a loud laugh that filled his cabin.

Jack took the opportunity to smuggle food off his tray, "Yeah I thought you'd like that one. I'm just eager as hell to test him out."

The comment made John snap back to the reality of their circumstances. "…Jack?"

"Yeah?" she replied, loading the last of her food onto her fork then chowing it down.

"…are you sure you want to go down with me? To Almos?"

Jack's eyes shot up with a wild fire burning within, "Shepard, I swear to fucking God if you don't take me down there with you, I'll murder you in your sleep."

He clenched his jaw. This was very possible as seeing she's been sleeping back to back with him for the past week or so.

"…I just wanted to make sure that you were comfortable with it…"

Jack forcefully calmed herself down—something Shepard had never seen. This woman kept surprising him day after day. "…It's whatever, Shepard. This is something that I just need to do. I…needa' make sure we get the kid off that planet. I needa' see their face when they find out we're there to rescue them.

Shepard softened his gaze. "…why do you have to see their face?"

She was hesitant to answer, but after a few moments the words began to leave her lips. "…because it's something I wish someone had done for me. I wanna' see what I _could _have looked like if a bunch of heroes smashed through the doors and swept me outta' that shit hole before I became any of _this_." When Jack finished talking, she was biting her lip and looking down at her empty tray, moving around the gravy to make obscure shapes and swirls. Her voice was soft when she spoke her last words, "…so you're taking me—no more damn questions, kay?"

John nodded his head then turned his tray over and pushed it towards the ex-convict. It was the only affectionate thing he could do to her without getting punched in the eye. "Here, I'm not hungry anymore—you take it."

Her eyes went insta-happy. "No shit?"

"Go for it."

Jack quickly grabbed her fork and began to gobble it down.

Shepard tilted his head and observed. "_God she's so CUTE."_

**xxxxxxx**

**Shepard's Cabin**

**Later that day**

It was time.

Edi's voice rang out in her usual matter-of-fact tone, "Commander, we have arrived on Almos. Will you be taking team members down on the small transport vessel?"

Shepard had just finished dressing himself in what was the loudest armor-suit he'd ever worn. "Yes, Edi. I'll be taking Miranda, Jack, and Kasumi down with me. We're heading off now."

"Very well, Commander."

Jack had just snapped some extra ammo in place, loaded up Dirty Willy and was already fully dressed and ready to go by the time Shepard got to her.

"Alright Jack—"

"Cut the chatter and let's move, pretty lady."

Shepard sighed, following her out the door as instructed.

**xxxxxxx**

**Planet Almos **

**Secluded Blue Sun Base**

**Western Reaches**

"Touch down on Almos, Edi. We're here, safe, and starting the mission. Transport is cloaked and Kasumi is staying on board for emergency evac. Joker, go discharge the ship and dock the Normandy at that fuel deposit we passed a small ways out. I'll radio contact when we're ready for pickup."

"Aye-Aye, Commander. Good luck, and bring that kid up safe."

"That's the plan. Comms out."

Shepard, Jack, and Miranda hopped out of the small transport unit and made their way towards a large rock that offered cover. The three ducked behind it, reviewing the start of their plan before they leapt over and made for the Blue-Suns base.

Jack couldn't hold her wicked chuckle back any longer. "Shepard, I don't know why the fuck we're even bothering to take cover. The people on the planet _next_ to this one can see that color from here."

Miranda began to laugh, but soon covered it up with a cough in an attempt to regain her professional manner.

Shepard eyeballed the biotic woman.

Jack lifted her hands in resign, voice still dripping with amusement. "Right. Lead on, your Majesty."

"Alright, as usual, we don't know what they have or how many are in there," Shepard began. "But we do know that the cargo they're planning to sell is a seven year old biotic child."

Jack tensed, a hatred burning so strongly in her eyes that Shepard had to snap her out of it to focus. It was reminiscent of what she looked like on Pragia.

"It's always the fuckin' Blue Suns that sell this kind'a shit. Those motherfucks need a Goddamn hobby," she practically spat, language seeming to get worse and worse.

Miranda couldn't help but smirk. "Agreed and here here," she stated with her signature aussie accent.

Shepard opened his omni-tool, linking inner-ear comms with his two comrades. "This _is_ their hobby, that's the problem," he retorted. "Anyways—Testing, Testing. Can both of you hear me alright?" Shepard looked at the two women.

Jake raised an eyebrow. "Well no shit, you're _right_ in fuckin' front of us, Shepard. You should have tested this crap on the Normandy _before_ we got here."

Shepard exhaled. Now wasn't the time and he wasn't going to argue.

"Okay team, the base is just small ways down that path…" the three of them peaked over their covering, examining the watch towers from a distance. Shepard took out his sniper rifle to observe in detail. "…that's…weird."

Miranda looked from Shepard, to the tower, then back again. "What's weird? What is it?"

Jack squinted. "No guards."

Shepard handed Lawson his rifle so she could take a look through the scope. "Well that can't be right. Why the watch towers but no one to watch from them? No ground troops either," She said, handing the rifle back and Shepard who put it away, taking out his assault rifle instead.

"Squad, let's move up."

Careful to remain hidden, the three slowly but efficiently made their way up to take cover behind another large rock that was only another hundred feet or so from the base door.

"Alright, I'll take center of the door. Miranda take left and Jack you get my right. Stay behind cover at all times, these bastards run in packs."

Miranda scowled. "Varren always do."

Jack grinned.

Shepard touched his ear piece. "Kasumi, are you there?"

"Commander," Kasumi chimed. "I'm on the mini vessel and will be listening in."

Shepard grinned, "Did you get the security system down?"

You could hear Kasumi typing away energetically on her omni-tool. "Please, Shepard. Remember who you're talking to. Alarms and all cameras are disabled, and doors will unlock when you give me the go."

"Perfect. Alright team, move out!"

The three hopped over the large rock and sprinted for the base entrance. Shepard took low ground at the door's center while Jack and Miranda took cover at their given stations.

"Door one: open," Shepard stated firmly. The light in the center of the massive structure went from red to green and then slid open.

Shepard tensed as he looked down his rifle's sights. The first door was the one he hated most.

As the door got halfway up, Shepard looked up from his rifle and tilted his head as he stood. "What the fu—"

Three blue-sun operatives were dead on the floor.

He walked up and into the entrance, planting his back against the wall and peaking over the corner that soon came ahead. "Clear."

The three examined the bodies and Miranda frowned, shaking her head lightly. "Not to say that I'm not glad to see them this way...but...if we didn't do this, who did?"

Jack tilted her head, a scowl on her face as she stuck a boot under a body and flipped it over onto its back. There was a bullet smack between the operative's eyes. "Well whoever the hell did this knew what the fuck they were doing. Clean headshot...all three of them."

Shepard leaned down to inspect. "Three kills with one shot. Incisor Rifle. Ladies, we got ourselves a sniper— and a _good_ one."

Miranda groaned. "Great."

"Hey cheer up, Cheerleader. I got your back." The tattooed woman tried to give a playful smile but it came out a bit...vicious.

Miranda groaned again, rolling her eyes and looking at her Commander. "Shepard, if she gets me killed I'll haunt you for the rest of your life."

He smirked. While it was a little rough around the edges, even a smart-ass comment like that showed that Jack was making baby-step progress. "Enough with the woman banter. Let's move we still have a package to intercept."

Jack grabbed his elbow roughly, causing him to turn and stare her down. "It ain't no _package_, Shepard. It's a kid. And she didn't ask for this."

Shepard met her eyes and apologized silently. He knew what she meant. She accepted it and released him. "Let's go get them fuckers."

**xxxxxxx**

The team had already passed four hallways, three rooms, and three doors with no problems or mercenaries.

Miranda looked around, her eyes searching carefully over everything. "This isn't right, Shepard. Every Sun we've encountered has been killed and the rooms have had no sign of distress—no bullet marks in the walls, no tipped over desks or supplies…" Miranda began to look worried, "Shepard, what if we're too late? What if someone else knew about the kid and got here before us?"

Shepard tensed. She was right. "We don't know that yet. Keep your voice down."

Jack made her way over to the medi-gel container by the door. "Shepard, it's empty."

John went up to examine the container. "Yeah it is…I think our sniper might be hurt."

The biotic scanned the floor. "Well if he is, he sure as hell ain't leaving a trail."

Shepard nodded his head forward. "Let's move, the more time we spend talking the less time we have to see if the kid's here." He gave instruction with his hands. Another door was coming up and he needed them to get to their stations. When they were in position, Shepard knelt in back of a fragile crate and whispered into his earpiece, "Kasumi, open door number four."

"Rodger that Shepard, opening door."

The light went green and silently slid open.

When Shepard saw the entrance hall was clear, the three noiselessly entered the large room that they noticed had two levels - them being on the top. To their right was a long staircase that led down onto the main floor.

They ducked behind the solid metal railing and listened.

The room had about twelve mercenaries scattered throughout the lower level. Shepard carefully peaked over to try and see specific locations when something caught his eye: a child sitting on a chair in the middle of the room. She was gagged, blindfolded, and both her hands and feet were bound. She appeared to be sobbing softly, shoulders shaking up and down uncontrollably.

He leaned back against the railing, his voice whispering into his comms system, "_Shit_. Well we definitely got Suns in _this_ room, so keep an eye and ear out for any signs from our _other_ guest. Also…information was right. They got the kid smack center of the room— guard to the left and right. There's a group of five talking in the upper right hand corner, three on the lower left, and two by the terminal up and center."

Miranda narrowed her eyes in thought.

Jack smiled. "That ain't shit."

Shepard looked at her. "Normally no, but with the kid dead center we can't afford to take the risk. If we take out the sides first, there's no guarantee that the guards near her just wont shoot point blank."

Miranda frowned, "Suggestion?"

John thought for a moment. "Jack I need the biggest, baddest, most _accurate_ shockwave you've ever given me and I need you to direct it at the group of five that are up right."

"Got it, they don't have a prayer."

"Miranda, I need an area pull followed by the heaviest slam you got on her two guards. Do NOT pick up the kid."

"Aye, aye."

Shepard exhaled. "Only other thing I can think of is throwing one of Kasumi's flash bangs at the smaller group by the terminal and taking out the three right below us myself."

"What about the possibility of sniper interference?" Lawson questioned.

"I really hate putting us in this position, but it's a kid. If we don't do something _now_ she'll get bought and transported off soon. So when on the offensive, I expect you both to keep alert and near cover—understood?"

His two companions nodded. "On your go, Commander," Miranda whispered.

Shepard nodded. "Flashbang first, then let them have it."

The two women stiffened, ready for the command.

"On three. One...two...THREE."

Shepard stood up and lifted the cap off of the flashbang at the same time. He chucked it as hard as he possibly could across the room right at his targets.

It went better than he could have hoped for. Not only did it end up in the correct area, it smacked one of them in the face and went off, causing a loud howl of pain from the two recipients, sending them crumbling to the floor and leaving the other mercenaries momentarily dazed.

"NOW," cried Shepard. All three of them unleashed horrors upon their targets. The room was loud with yelling, gunshots, explosions, and biotic crackles. The child screamed for dear life, not being able to see what was going on around her.

Jack's targets were down, Miranda had rendered her two broken and unconscious, and Shepard had just taken out his three.

"Clear!" shouted Jack, taking cover once again along side her companions. "I ain't seeing a shooter, Shepard."

Miranda had examined every corner of the room while she was standing and using her biotics, she hadn't seen anything either. "As far as I can tell the room is empty, Commander."

John leaned back against the railing trying to think while the faint sound of a child's sobs echoed in his ear. "We're not alone; he just hasn't taken his shot yet…so we're going to use that to our advantage. While he debates friend or foe status, Miranda I need you to get the kid and Jack—I need you to help me find data on her receiver. I'm giving us two minutes to go down. After that we get _out_. Understood?"

Both women nodded their heads. The Commander, Miranda, and Jack ran down the stairs when the moment presented itself.

The Australian was the first to go for the child, she offered gentle coos as she knelt down in front of the small biotic, letting her voice touch the kid first before she put her hands in any danger. "It's alright, sweetie. We're not here to hurt you. We're getting you out of here and to safety." Quickly she worked to untie the bonds that covered the child's eyes, freed her feet, hands, and then took the gag out of her mouth.

The little girl's orbs were deep red from being drug induced and from hours of sobbing. Her little face was dirty from most likely being transported several times and the streaks of tears could be clearly seen.

As Miranda comforted the child Shepard and Jack went to check the mercenaries in attempt to find a data pad that gave any hint of the recipient's information.

"Son of a bitch," Shepard growled. "No data on these guys. Jack, check the terminal while I go check around the others."

Jack nodded, taking a moment to look over at the child's face before she made her way to the terminal. "Yo, Kasumi, are you there?"

"Right here, Jack."

"I'm linkin' my omni-tool with a fried terminal here. Flashbang went ape-shit on it. Can you link up with me and see if you can get any information from it?"

"Give me a second." Jack took the chance to take another glance back at the kid as she waited, observing the way their small body quaked. It made her angry. "You fuckin' got anything or not, Kasumi?"

"Nothing major, however, there was a message sent to this terminal from an unknown location stating time and place of pickup. I'm uploading the message to Shepard's terminal on the Normandy."

"Gotcha," she turned her direction towards Shepard in who was practically strip searching each mercenary for a hint of information. "Hey Shepard, Kasumi managed ta' grab a message from the big man. She sent it to your terminal back on the ship."

John scowled at each mercenary's lack of information, offering his current target an extra 'tap' from his boot. "Well, that's better than what I'm finding on these fuckin' losers." He turned back to see if Miranda has made progress.

The small girl's hands glowed faintly with a black blue aura as they clasped the chair. Miranda brought her gaze down to meet the child's. "It's alright, little one. What's your name?"

The girl's lower lip trembled, eyes looking over the face of the pretty lady that just saved her. "T...T-Teagan."

Miranda smiled her most brilliant smile. "Hello, Teagan. I'm Miranda Lawson, and it is a pleasure to meet you."

Something had moved and caught Jack's eye to the left: one of the mercs had just stood up. Jack moved to her grab her hip mounted pistol as fast as she could manage, but failed to move fast enough.

The little girl was halfway through producing a feeble smile when from over Miranda's shoulder one of the flash-banged mercs got up and aimed their pistol right at Miranda's back. Teagan screamed in horror as a gunshot echoed throughout the large room.

All became silent.

Miranda kneeled there, her eyes wide. Shepard turned on the balls of his feet to witness what just happened. How could he have been so careless...?

Teagan stared into Miranda's stunned gaze before noticing that it wasn't the ex-cerberus operative that got hit...but the Blue Sun.

The man stood there for a few seconds before dropping to his knees then face forward. A precision shot was made in his head. Three perfect bullets: One through the right eye, one between the eyes, and one through the left eye. He never stood a chance.

Miranda swung around, chest heaving up and down and her eyes searching frantically about the second story of the room. Shepard and Jack took out rifle and shotgun and made for Teagan.

He barked out an order, "We're getting this kid out of here. Cover her with our own damn bodies if we have to. Move!"

Miranda grasped Teagan's hand tightly and they began to make for the stairs hurriedly.

"Let. Her. Go."

Shepard held up his hand in an order to stop movement. He spoke sternly, without fear. "This kid isn't for sale. We're taking her and that's the end of it."

"Let her go now, or I put a bullet in each one of your Goddamn heads!"

Teagan noticed the voice and outreached her hands, beginning to sob. "LONDON! I knew you'd come for me!"

The hidden voice seemed to crack, "I'm right here, baby! Don't you move! I'll get you!"

Shepard assessed the situation quickly. He whispered to Miranda then nodded his head towards Teagan. Slowly he put down his weapon and held up both his hands, ordering his team to do the same.

Jack growled but did as commanded and Miranda released the child's hand and followed the movement, taking the hint from Shepard as she did so. She spoke softly, "Teagan, honey, do you know this person?"

The biotic child nodded her head, eyes streaming with tears.

"Don't worry, Tee. They're not taking you anywhere."

Shepard spoke up. "Listen. We're not here to harm her. We got information the Blue Suns were dealing with the illegal trafficking of a biotic child. We couldn't let that happen."

"And just who the hell are you," the voice demanded.

"I'm Commander John Shepard of the Normandy SR2. These are two of my team members Jack and Miranda."

Teagan spoke up, "Miranda is nice! She untied me and saved me from the bad men!"

The hidden voice was silent for moment as if thinking.

"If...if I come out...do you promise to not shoot or hurt the child?"

Teagan pulled on Shepard's pant leg. "You won't hurt her, will you Mr. Shepard?"

Shepard kept his hands high and nodded. "You have my word."

The voice replied, "And your team?"

Shepard said austerely, "My decision is their decision. They will stand down."

"—if you so much as reach for your gun, I'll blow your hands off, you got it?"

"Yes."

There was no sound or movement for a moment, but soon and from the shadows a _woman_ emerged from the second floor. Gracefully she hopped over the railing and down to the ground with nothing more than a soft thud.

Now in full light she could be examined.

She seemed to have the same height and frame as Miranda, even possibly the same age. The only exception was that her muscles seemed to be just a bit leaner, more defined. She had a long and fresh wound on the side of her face that started next to her eyebrow and ended down at her jaw. It bled heavily. Her long, light chestnut-brown hair was naturally curled in long lose twirls and tied neatly into a pony-tail which only accentuated her fine facial features. She had a beautiful jaw line, a long neck, full lips, an appealing nose, and elegant cheekbones. Her eyes were an almost scary piercing light gray.

The sniper's clothes were simple, however. Nothing more than a pair of olive cargo pants accented with a belt, black combat boots, and a tight black tank-top which seemed ripped near her right rib cage and also bleeding. Her arms were slender, but lean and most definitely strong. She adorned a bicep brace on the right. Her forehead was visibly damp and her facial expression was severe as she aimed the Incisor at all three heads.

Shepard opened his mouth to speak, "Listen we put our weapons down. The child is clearly not hurt or threatened, and our hands are up. I'd appreciate it if you didn't aim that thing at our faces."

The woman considered his words. "Are you really Commander Shepard?" she asked, rifle not faltering.

"I am."

She eyed the logo on Miranda's attire. "_Bullshit_. That's a Cerberus logo."

Jack groaned, "See? What'd I tell you? I _knew_ letting her whore around in that outfit would cause trouble for us one day."

Miranda spat back, "Sure blame me! It's not like we ever have the time to bloody go shopping for new outfits! Let me just put evvvvvverything important down so I can go make myself more pleasant for you, Jack!"

Shepard shut them both up with narrowed eyes. Both women exhaled.

The sniper's gaze went over the three, then down towards the child. "Tee, get over here."

Teagan looked up at Miranda then ran towards the older woman with a jump start.

"Kick your weapons this way," she demanded.

Jack rolled her eyes. "Listen lady—"

Shepard stopped her. "Do it." Unknowingly to them, Shepard had the situation under control. He knew how this would turn out.

With a loud growl, Jack complied alongside Miranda. The three kicked their weapons away.

Teagan clung to the older woman's waist and snuggled. "You okay?" the older female asked.

The child nodded. "I knew you'd come, London."

London smiled. "You bet I did."

Shepard sighed heavily. "Look. We need to move out. Now I don't know how you managed to get here but if we don't leave soon, chances are more Suns will show up. This time they'll be better armored and heavily equipped. I hate to break it to you, but with a kid on the battlefield we're only leaving ourselves open to accidents: _bad_ ones. The price of a powerful biotic isn't cheap, and when the payload is threatened to be taken away terrible things start to happen to those who got involved."

London looked him over. "What do you propose?"

He exhaled, lowering his hands slowly. "We have a small transport vessel that can take us back to my ship. From there we'll take you wherever it is you need to go. But we gotta' move. _Now_."

Teagan tugged on her leg, "They're nice people. I know it."

London looked at the kid's eyes and sighed, finally lowering her rifle. "Fine, you get us out of here then we'll get out of your hair and _I_ don't shoot you. Deal?"

Shepard nodded. "Deal. Let's move."

The Normandy crew picked up their belongings and went up the stairs first followed by the other pair. Quickly all made their way up and into the vessel and shot off towards the Normandy.

"Get us out of here, Kasumi."

"Rodger that."

Shepard voiced in the command, "Ready for pick up, Joker. Be there in a few."

"Aye commander, we're waiting. Did you get the kid?"

Shepard eyed the woman called London. "We got the kid and _then_ some."

Teagan shyly made her way up to Shepard, a cautious London watching his every move towards her.

"…M-Mister Shepard?" she asked nervously.

John looked down at the child, answering as friendly as he could possibly manage. "Yes?"

"…why are you wearing pink armor?"

[End 9: The Child Prodigy]

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_A/N: For those of you who were like 'wtf' on Day 3 of Flight…I urge you to look up Jacob's love scene. And once you do, please feel free to watch this video created by the one and only DJ Harbinger:_

_www(dot)youtube(dot)com(backslash)watch?v=fZzvvf1Sp7g&feature=related_

_Reviews are still appreciated! Let me know what you're thinking so far!_


	10. Ingénue

_Disclaimer: The Mass Effect world and everything in it belongs to BioWare._

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[Chapter Ten: Ingénue]

The trip back to the Normandy felt like an awfully long one. Shepard and his crew sat on one side of the ship quietly while Kasumi drove them back at a steady pace. London and Teagan, however, sat on the direct opposite side of the others looking out the window.

The small biotic stared out at the stars that always seemed to be there regardless of the hour. She snuggled into the older woman whose arm wrapped around her shoulders lovingly, protectively.

John and his crew could hear bits and pieces of delicate questions being asked softly into the child's ear: "Did they touch you? Did they hurt you in any way?"

The little girl shook her head quickly, "One of the men tried to take off my implant and made my ear hurt but that's it, London. Promise."

The squeeze around the child's shoulders tightened.

Shepard felt bad to interrupt an obviously personal moment but he had to, "Ma'am, I hate to ask, but what exactly were the Blue Suns wanting with your…?"

London looked over to him, face still serious. She supposed it was a natural question to ask. "She's my sister."

Teagan smiled proudly.

Shepard nodded, "Of course. But what was it they wanted? Isn't she a little too young for a fully developed skill in biotic technique?"

London turned to her little sister, "Do you want to show them?"

The child hesitated then answered slowly, "It's okay. They're not like those other people."

London let her out from under her arm, allowing the child to walk up to Jack of all people.

Jack looked nervous, not knowing how to respond to the little human she just helped save, "…aw come on kid, don't put me in a position like this. You're makin' me all sweaty n' shit…" She tried to wave off the child, but Teagan stood her ground and pointed a small finger to Jack's ear.

Shepard raised his brow. "Her amp?"

The little girl nodded, tucking her long, dark brown hair behind her right ear and showing off both her own amp and a slightly too-small ear.

All three of the Normandy crew had wide eyes.

London began to speak, "As I'm sure you know, in biotics the element zero nodules in the nervous system react to electric stimuli in the brain. Teagan's special circumstance is that the nodules in her system seem to _overreact_ to her brain's stimuli naturally, causing an unusual boost in her biotic capabilities. Now add the L4 that she had surgically attached when she was a baby…and you have your 'child prodigy'." London really hated those two words. "Her earpiece is made of a flexi-weave material that grows with her ear but still slightly hinders its growth. And like Jack, hers cannot be removed. It's become part of her body."

Teagan looked down at her feet, small thumbs twiddling in her hands, "…my ears a little funny lookin' I know…"

Jack frowned. "It's whatever, but I don't see nothin' wrong with it." The ex-convict crossed her arms and looked away from the kid; actually _hoping_ what she said made a difference.

Miranda took Jack's lead and leaned over to put her face at Teagan's level, "I think you're absolutely beautiful."

Teagan blushed furiously before running back to an eagerly waiting London.

Shepard still looked thunderstruck, "Wait a minute, she has a _permanent_ amp at her age?"

London nodded. "That's what they wanted with her. She's just a kid with highly unusual circumstances and biotic capabilities."

Shepard squinted at the little biotic's implant more closely. "That L4… does that mean that she was—"

London was looking out a window, speaking with no emotion. "—subject to testing, yes. But like I said, she was just a baby when it happened. She doesn't remember any of it. It's a damn _miracle_ she survived as it is."

Jack bit the inside of her lower lip so hard she began to taste blood. She wanted to scream, yell, and blow this shitty little planet to fuck—and she could too, she was good at that kind of stuff. _"Keep your shit together, you fuckin' idiot—there ain't no turning back now. You saved her, now deal with the goddamn consequences of having to hear the shit that happened. Just fuckin' deal with it." _The muscles in Jack's cheeks flexed harshly as she grinded her teeth in quiet contemplation, the words 'deal with it' echoing repeatedly in her mind.

John shook his head, slightly appalled at the thought he was thinking. "Your parents let something like that—"

London turned her head so quickly they all thought they heard a snap. "—with all due respect Commander Shepard, you know nothing about my parents, where we're from, or anything else in between. So I will ask you only once to drop that line of conversation. You wanted to know what was special about Teagan? We told you. Now, is there anything else or are we done?"

Shepard looked slightly annoyed, but pushed his luck. "Sure, I think I got another question in me."

Her face remained neutral. "What is it?"

"Where'd you learn to shoot?"

She turned back to look out the window, voice softening. "…from my father."

Miranda, Jack, and Shepard all exchanged looks while Teagan snuggled back into her older sister, "… London? Are we going back home?"

London looked saddened but tried to keep an encouraging tone for her sister. "No, Tee. We're not going back this time. People found out where we are, see? So we have to keep moving to stay safe."

Teagan tugged at London's sleeve, face begging to go back. "But we have too! All our stuff is there! Mama's old books, daddy's instrument! Mr. Wiggles will get lonely without me and—"

London sighed heavily, looking into her little sister's deep green eyes. "Okay, Tee, okay. I'll go see if I can get our things back. But don't be surprised if someone else already showed up and took them, okay?"

The small biotic had dreadfulness in her eyes. "But…Mr. Wiggles!"

London smiled softly. "We'll see, pun'kin."

Shepard couldn't help but over-hear. "Did…did you all need to pick some things up?"

London looked at Teagan and her pleading eyes then back over to Shepard. "I won't ask that of you."

Jack rolled her eyes, "…he offered ta' help, so just take your goody-goody thumb out of your ass and accept."

The comment made Shepard sigh, Miranda to cover her eyes and groan, and London to simply look at Jack with an un-moved face. "_Very well_."

John looked at Jack, surprised that it had actually worked. The bald woman shrugged and decided to fiddle with Dirty Willy.

"Well, where's home ma'am?" he asked.

London shifted her eyes down, then back out into the atmosphere. "Omega."

Miranda looked like she just tasted something awful. "_That's_ your home? Your parents live there too?"

Teagan looked at the pretty lady with a sad face and shrugged. "Mama and daddy died a long time ago. It's just me and London now, but we're okay! Right, Lond?"

The older sister clenched her jaw lightly and said nothing. Miranda knew to let the subject go, adding an "I…I'm sure you two are doing just fine," for extra measure.

Seeing the awkward moment, Shepard decided to step in. "Well then, when we get back to the SR2 we'll make course to Omega."

Lawson shot a glace to John, "But Sir, Anderson—"

"—can wait, Lawson. Let's just get this sorted out first, okay?"

The operative backed down and nodded. "Of course, Commander."

London turned back to Shepard. _That_ comment caught her attention. "…Anderson said what? Who is he and what does he want?"

Shepard took off his helmet and rubbed his tired eyes. "You and I have a lot to discuss when we get back."

She gave him a curious look, but a cautious one all the same. "It appears that we do."

Teagan suddenly reached up to touch the side of London's face. The older sister hissed softly and brought down the child's hand into her lap, holding it gently. "I'm fine, Tee. Just don't poke at it anymore okay?" She gave her little sister a half smile.

Teagan shook her head with worried eyes, examining all of her sister's wounds. "Those cuts don't look so good…do they…hurt bad?

London ran her thumb over the top of Teagan's little hand, trying to calm her mind. "It's just a scratch, Tee. Don't go worrying about it. As soon as I get the chance I'll fix myself up."

"W-what about them?" she turned and pointed to the three on the other side of the small vessel. "Can you do anything for her, Mr. Shepard?"

The sniper shook her head, "Honey, don't start asking for all sorts of favors. They helped us out a great deal back there already. We don't need anything—"

Shepard gave her a warm smile. "—it's actually something I _have_ to ask of you two."

London raised a brow.

"It's just protocol, Miss London. I'm going to need to take you two to Dr. Chakwas on in our med day for a small health examination. Just basic safety precautions for both you two and my crew."

"I can care for myself Mr. Shepard, but I will thank you for caring for Teagan. However, I will only agree to have her health checked aboard your ship if I can be present in the room during the examination. As you are quite well aware of, I do not know Dr. Chakwas—or any of you as a matter of fact, and my mind would rest more easily if I could oversee what was happening."

It made perfect sense to him. He knew with London being the only one to care and love for this child that it was only natural to oversee the examination and not leave her in the hands of perfect strangers. "I can and will agree to that, ma'am. But I also must insist on you being checked on as well. I run a multi-racial crew, and for _their_ safety I would like for you to undergo the standard procedure."

She considered his words momentarily, "You've agreed to my standards so, much against my liking, I will agree to yours. I assume all details of the medical reports will remain private?"

"Only you and Dr. Chakwas will know unless something of a somewhat severe nature arises with your health—then, and _only_ then will _I_ be told."

"Then I agree."

"Thank you, ma'am."

Just then Kasumi called out from the pilot's seat. "Hate to interrupt but we're coming in on the Normandy, Shepard!" She pressed a couple of buttons with a few quick strokes, "Coming in Joker, are we good to go with clearance?"

"Rodger that, Kasu. The loading dock is open and ready for landing. Take it easy and bring her in."

[End 10: Ingénue]

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_A/N: Once again I'm leaving many questions unanswered because I want to answer them as I go along and blend them in with the overall plot. _

_Let me know what you think so far! _


	11. Welcome to the Normandy

_Disclaimer: The Mass Effect Universe and everything in it belongs to BioWare. I only lay claim to London and Teagan._

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[Chapter Eleven: Welcome to the Normandy ]

It had been a hell of a long day. When Shepard, his team, and London and Teagan made their way aboard the Normandy shuttle landing zone on the fourth deck, they were greeted by a few unexpected crew members: Grunt, Garrus, Joker, and Kenneth.

Miranda instantly sighed knowing exactly what they were there for, while Jack simply made her way down to the dark cargo hold to get a change of clothes.

Shepard stared them down, wondering what they were planning now. "Okay you four... what is it this time?"

Grunt shrugged, "I wished to hear of the battle. These pyjaks just wanted to see who the new arrivals were. The thief had told brittle bones here another adult female was coming on board the ship. Then he recruited the other two to come here and see."

Joker shrugged innocently and made a faux clueless face, "I just wanted to give the new arrivals a proper greeting, Commander. I have no _idea_ what Grunt is talking about."

Garrus was smirking as he whispered to Kenneth. "Kasumi wasn't kidding when she said the older one was a looker. No fringe, but still…"

Kenneth was practically undressing the sniper with his eyes, "…oh the things I would do to that woman…"

London, with her _well_ trained ears, unhitched her incisor rifle and let it unfold in her hand, throwing it over her left shoulder and cocking her hip for show and threat. "…and what _exactly_ would you do to me?" she asked casually with a hint of hazard.

Kenneth went pale upon seeing the gun and gulped, "I-I-I would give you a mighty fine wave of the hand in a gesture of my welcoming you aboard this ship of cosmic…amazing…ness..."

Garrus covered his eyes and muttered under his breath, "…idiot…"

Commander Shepard let the annoyance beam out of his eyeballs towards the four males, "Just get back to your stations, please. I'm sure when everything is in order proper welcomes will be had. So until then…" he motioned with his hand for them to get back to work. All three had a slight slump in their walk as they headed towards the elevator, Grunt giving an 'I don't see what the big deal is. She's not even attractive, along the way.

Kenneth raised a brow, "What do the female Krogans look like?"

Grunt shrugged as the elevators began to close. "_Me_, but just a little shorter."

Kenneth looked him over. "Well thaaat explains it."

When they were out of sight, London put her weapon back in its proper place.

Shepard exhaled loudly, turning to her and her little sister apologetically. "I'm really sorry. With those four paired up you just really don't know what's going to happen—or what they'll say."

London looked at Shepard's attire, "Is that what happened with your," she waved a finger around at his armor.

The commander rubbed the back of his neck, "Actually, this massacre happened with just _two_ of them. So you can imagine what can happen with all four…"

"I see."

There was a small moment of awkwardness between the little gathering before Miranda stepped in, "Perhaps we should assign her an area of living while we make our way to Omega, Commander? It'll be a few days travel."

He nodded in agreement. "Yeah, let's set her up in portside observation. Kasumi isn't staying there anymore and it's more than big enough for two people."

Lawson nodded, motioning them towards the elevator. "Right this way, ladies."

Teagan's eyes were wide with amazement at the sheer size of the ship. "This place is so pretty! All the lights…and…t-the space! It's so clean!"

The comment made London silently hurt. She had worked so hard for them these past few years and knew none of it would ever amount to something like the Normandy. She had always wished she could give her little sister more.

Shepard laughed, "I like to keep things in order. Especially if we're traveling with the _prettiest_ little girl the galaxy has ever seen. It has to be presentable, you know?" The commander offered a warm smile towards the tiny biotic that blushed heavily and hid behind her sister's leg.

Miranda chuckled at the scene, pressing the button that led them up to deck three.

**xxxxxxx**

The doors opened to portside observation and Teagan squealed with delight. "We can stay here? Really!" London sighed lightly before making her way to the center of the room and looking around.

Shepard nodded, "It's all yours Miss Teagan, from the corner to corner."

Miranda walked around to the giant couch and pointed towards a bright red button low on its side. "This turns this couch into a rather large bed for the both of you. The bar over on the other side has been replaced with vitamin drinks and assorted juices for your convenience."

John looked over her with surprised eyes, "When did you do all that with the bar?"

Lawson smiled proudly, "I made a call on the transport vessel to the Mess Sergeant. He was kind enough to do this little task for them."

"You really _do_ think of everything, geesh."

Lawson smirked, "It's what I'm here for, Commander."

Teagan ran up towards Miranda and planted her with a large hug. "Thank you very much Miss Miran—" she caught herself and sucked in her breath, raising her eyes to meet the ex-operatives. "…m-may I call you Miranda, ma'am?"

While momentarily shocked by such a gentle touch, Miranda soon smiled and nodded her head. "Of course, sweetie." She looked over to London who was leaning against the observation window and looking out, "Your little sister is very well mannered for one her age. It's rather impressive."

For the first time since they'd met, London gave a genuine small grin. "What can I say, she's an impressive child."

"Well then," Shepard interrupted, "we'll let you two get situated here and when you're ready for your checkup just go down the hall and take a right to see the medical bay. I've already let Dr. Chakwas know about your arrival today so she'll be in there."

The two Normandy members turned to leave the quarters.

"Mr. Shepard, I assume you have not forgotten that we still need to talk?"

Shepard stopped and turned around, "Of course not, ma'am. But for now let's all of us just get set up and comfortable. We'll talk business tomorrow, alright? It's been a long day and I think everyone needs to bathe, eat, and rest for a night…especially the little one."

Teagan, who was rolling around on the soft couch, stopped and looked up to her big sister with a pouting face. London rolled her eyes and sighed, "Very well. Tomorrow then."

As Shepard and Miranda left the room, the ex-operative gave him a questioning brow. "I had no idea you were so good with children, Commander."

John gave a large grin. "Are you kidding? I never grew up!"

**xxxxxxx**

London had taken off all weapons and placed them neatly on one side of the room and away from Teagan's reach, with the exception of a small pistol that she left on her own hip mount. With the evening coming in she could feel how tired her body was and the ache of her wounds, however, she put on an act as she went towards her little sister and swept her off her feet in a playful twirl.

Teagan laughed loudly and freely as her big sister swung her in a large circle before setting her down firmly on her feet. The sniper brought her gray orbs down to meet the others green, "We need to give you bath! You smell like little pyjak feet!"

Teagan giggled, shaking her head in disagreement. "I do not!"

London let out a playful roar as she threw Teagan over her shoulder and towards their private bathroom, sending the child into another wave of laughter. "I think you do, madam! So bathe you _must_! I doubt the medical doctor would want to examine such a filthy little animal!" she said dramatically, adding a fake English accent into the mix.

"Fiiiiiiiiiiiiine…" Teagan stated reluctantly as she now stood by the half tub half shower and waited for it to fill.

When the water was the perfect temperature London turned around and crossed her arms as she waited. "Into the water with you, little pyjak!"

Teagan undressed herself quickly and slowly made her way into the tub, sitting down and bringing her knees to her chest. "Okaaaay…I'm in…"

London turned around and sat on the lip of the tub. Her eyes wandered over her little sister's body trying to find signs of abuse. With the exception of a few small bruises on her arms in the shapes of fingertips there were none, and she was relieved.

"It's been a pretty rough day, hasn't it Tee?"

Teagan nodded her head in agreement. "…yah. But it got us here, didn't it! With all these nice people…"

London smiled softly, "…always looking at the bright side of things, huh? Just like your mother."

The little biotic giggled, "She's your mommy too, silly."

"Maybe…but _you_ got all her traits, little one."

Teagan looked up at her sister with shining eyes. "Really? Mean it?"

"Of course I mean it. Everything mama had in her you have in you. You two share the same spirit."

Teagan put her chin on the top of her knees, eyes suddenly becoming sad. "I know I don't remember much, but…I miss them."

London cupped handfuls of water and let the liquid fall down her sisters back from the top of her head. "I know, Tee. I miss them too. But we got to be brave for them, remember? And even though they're gone, I still have you and you still have me. And I will _always_ be here.

Teagan leaned her cheek onto her big sister's lap, dampening the pants beneath it. London gently caressed her face, "It'll be alright. We're together and that's all that matters for right now. We'll figure everything else out as we go along, okay?"

The little girl nodded slowly.

"Okay then. When you finish bathing then go into my pack and put on your night clothes while _I_ bathe. Then when we're both ready we'll head out to see that Dr. Chakwas."

Teagan looked up to her, "You brought extra clothes?"

"Of course I did. I always had an emergency pack ready to go incase something ever happened and we needed to move. It's not very large, but it should be enough for another three days."

"Okies! I'll hurry up so you can get in then."

"Take your time, Tee, there's no rush."

**xxxxxxx**

When the pair had finally finished bathing off the dirt, blood, and grime from the day's events they strode hand in hand and made their way towards Dr. Chakwas' office. After letting the doors hiss softly shut behind them, London gave out a polite cough acknowledging their arrival. "Excuse me ma'am, but Commander Shepard requested that we come down this evening to get a basic medical examination."

Chakwas swiveled in her chair and stood up with a gentle smile on her face, "Ah yes of course! London and Teagan correct? I am Dr. Helen Chakwas of the Normandy crew, and I am happy to meet you both."

Teagan smiled brightly while London extended her hand to shake the other woman's. "Thank you very much for the courtesy, ma'am. I appreciate it."

"Oh please, dear, just call me Helen."

"Very well, Helen."

"Wonderful! Shall we get started then?" she said clapping her hands together.

London nodded, "I would like it if Teagan went first. She's been through a lot today and I'd just like to make sure everything is alright."

"Of course, my dear. It's quite the basic procedure, there's no need to take blood or request a urine sample of any sort. I just need to swab her cheek to gather a bit of saliva and a small tissue sample, and then I simply need to place her in that scanner so that I may check her body for physical injury."

London ruffled the little one's hair. "See. Not so bad, right?"

Teagan shook her head. "Nu-uh."

Chakwas leaned into the little girl with a long cotton-tipped stick. "In we go, darling."

Teagan opened her mouth and let the doctor take her sample.

"Wonderful, now let's just put this in this container like so—and now lets head over to that large contraption over there and check how your body is doing."

Teagan looked up with a nervous gaze to her sister, but upon seeing the reassurance in her eyes knew it would be alright. The child stepped in and stood perfectly still.

"Such a wonderful child this one is. I remember at her age I was taking other kid's toys and throwing dirt at my sitter," she snickered as the scanner did its work.

London gave a half smile.

"Alright my dear, you can step off that and return to us over here. We're all done!" Chakwas gazed over her data pad's results. "No signs of damage to tissue or bone," she said, moving on to the lower half of the pad. "…_gorgeous_ brain activity, no anomalies in the blood stream…she's a little dehydrated but you can solve that with the vitamin liquids that were stocked in your room. Everything looks good."

London nodded, relief showing on her face. "Thank you very much, doctor."

"You're very welcome. Now, if you would please?"

After going through all the motions for the saliva sample, London found herself in the scanner with a curious Teagan looking over her. After about a minute or so she too removed herself from the device and retook her place by Helen in wait of her results.

"Let's see…besides the obvious body wounds which we will take of in just a moment, you've no broken bones thankfully and—" Dr. Chakwas frowned, her tone lowering. "…Hmm. My dear, may I have a word with you?"

London knew what it was about instantly. _"This is exactly why I didn't want the medical check up to begin with," _she inwardly cursed without having it show on her face. "…Sure. Teagan, honey, will you please go back to our room and wait for me there while I finish here with Dr. Chakwas?"

Teagan looked worried. "A-are you okay?"

London nodded and smiled, "I'm fine Tee, just wait for me there okay?"

"…okay."

When the child was out of the room, London returned her attention to the Doctor who looked a little worried. "London, the scanner results are showing heavy tissue scarring inside the vaginal canal. Now, there are no reported diseases which means you're clean as can be but…for safety reasons, it's required that I check you, dear."

London sighed heavily. "It's really okay, Helen. I can assure you that—"

"Please, dear. It's just procedure in times like this. Plus, I would rest easier tonight knowing that everything is alright with our new Normandy guests."

The sniper could think of no other option, "Very well. This little matter remains between us though, correct? My sister hasn't the slightest clue about any of this."

Chakwas waited as London removed her cargo pants and then guided her to sit in the examination chair. "Strictly confidential," she said as she put on a new pair of gloves, a facial mask that covered her mouth and nose, and placed a tissue light cover around London's lower half.

London leaned back against the cold examination chair and lifted her butt to remove her panties, her face turning onto its side and gazing off into empty space on the wall afterwards. Dr. Chakwas lubricated and warmed the small tool needed to check her patient. "Are you ready, London?"

London clenched her jaw but nodded firmly, spreading her legs slowly and resting them on the chair's leg holders. "I would like to finish this as quickly as possible if you don't mind."

Helen gave the woman a sympathetic look then leaned slightly in, inserting the tool gradually into her patient then clenching down on it to spread London's delicate folds and tunnel. London could feel her lower abdomen clench but soon forced herself to relax for the sake of feeling less pain. "Boy, they really make you do _everything_ on this ship don't they, doctor?"

Chakwas gave her an appreciated chuckle as she examined the scarring within. "You've _no_ idea, my dear."

"So…I'm assuming you're finding everything alright like I've said?"

The doctor had just finished checking her cervix and moved on to feel along the walls. "There's a small amount of swelling, and the amount of scarring present is unnerving in all honesty but… it seems that you're healthy otherwise." Helen removed her fingers then took out the tool slowly. "I'll give you some pills and an ointment to help. Everything else will come with time."

London quickly removed herself from the examination chair and redressed, trying to pick up pieces of her dignity along the way. "Thank you."

"London...may I ask how this happened, and what your little sister does not know?"

Once dressed, London looked over to Chakwas. "It's hard living on Omega, ma'am. And it's really not what you think." she stated flatly.

"And would you like to tell me what you think I think?"

"Rape. I wasn't raped."

"Then—"

"Ma'am my little sister has been waiting for me for a while now and I'd like to get back to her."

"…I…very well. But I'm here if you need to talk. And we have a councilor onboard as well named Kelly Chambers. She's always available and very good at what she does."

"I understand and appreciate the concern, ma'am, but… I've been dealing with this for about five years. I'm fine, I assure you."

Chakwas backed off and gave her both the ointment and pills after patching up her face and ribs.

London began to walk out the door but stopped just at the entrance, turning her head over her shoulder and giving a brief and half-hearted smile. "…thank you anyways…"

Dr. Chakwas could only nod in return, watching the woman walk out of her office and down the hall.

**xxxxxxx**

When she had finally returned to her room, she found Teagan had already fallen into a deep and calm sleep on their bed. London walked over and pulled the fluffy comforter over her shoulders to warm her further. She caressed her little cheek with the back of her hand then leaned in to kiss her forehead before making her way over to the observation window and looking out into the stars.

She was motionless for the longest of time before her shoulders began to quake as she leaned over, grasping her mouth with both hands to keep from sobbing out into their new room and waking her little sister.

**xxxxxxx**

**The Commander's Cabin**

**Same Night**

_**To**__: ShepSR2_

_**From**__: AdAndrsn_

_**Subject**__: Requesting Status Update_

_John, the package should have been received by now yet I've heard no word from you. Status Update._

_Also, I've wired some credits in payment to the Normandy's account._

_-Anderson_

_**To**__: AdAndrsn_

_**From**__: ShepSR2_

_**Subject**__: Update_

_Package acquired, but small change of plans._

_The child has only one known relative: an older sibling going by the name of [******] who is currently with us as well. We picked [******] up infiltrating the base of operations by themselves in a very successful attempt to rescue the target. How she got there is still unknown to me, but I feel with time perhaps we'll learn everything soon enough._

_I'm still unclear if they know anything about the package's receiver, but I plan to address and speak with them tomorrow regarding future actions and needed information. Course to the Citadel is still in-route; however, we will be making a quick stop to gather some of their personals from their previous home. It shouldn't take more than an extra day or two worth of travel. In other news, Kasumi managed to gather only a small bit of information from a fried terminal on Almos. The man at play calls himself the 'The Buyer'. Not very original if you ask me, but hey, I guess it's better than no information at all. I'll get in contact with Liara soon to see if she has anything that can help._

_Oh, and thank you for the payment._

John sent the message and backed his chair up from the terminal, rubbing his face with both hands then yawning loudly in only his sleeping shorts, "…think if I say I'm retiring they'd listen?" he asked jokingly.

A freshly showered Jack wearing only a tight, crème colored tank-top and a pair of sleeping shorts smirked from on top of his bed, rolling over onto her stomach and looking at his direction. "Try it and see what happens. I'm actually curious to see how far their eyeballs will roll in back of their heads while they pass the fuck out. What ever will humanity to without their _precious_ Commander Shepard?"

Shepard rolled his eyes at her sarcasm as he got onto his feet and made his way over to the bed, plopping down beside her but choosing to lie on his back. "So, what do you think of our new guests?" he asked, changing the conversation.

Jack shrugged, rolling over onto her back now and laying by the commander shoulder to shoulder. "Eh, the older one has a stick the size of Miranda's ego shoved up her ass but the little one…" Jack changed her expression to one that was slightly softer, "…she's alright. Makes me think a lot though—but that ain't her fault."

John turned his head to look at her, "Think about what?"

"Ah you know, random shit: 'what if that', 'what if this'…just a bunch of scenarios that drive me up the fuckin' wall."

Shepard smiled at her, watching the way her face changed when she spoke about different things: wow her brows furrowed then would suddenly go high, how her lips moved gracefully despite the sometimes vulgar words that flew out, and he especially loved the way her eyes went wild with thought when she was angry or confused. You see, _she_ liked to think of herself as tough shit with a stone face, but to _him_…she was plain as daylight to see. They'd spent every night together sleeping back to back since the suicide mission and little by little their conversations got longer, the length that Shepard was able to touch her expanded, and he even got to catch more eyefuls of her than she usually let him have. Things were going really well, so he was comfortable enough tonight to dig a little deeper into her thoughts, "…what kind of scenarios are you coming up with?"

Jack folded her arms across her eyes as she rested and exhaled. "…have you ever," she started, but ended up stopping, not wanting to sound like an idiot. "…nevermind…"

John chuckled and nudged her shoulder with his, "Aw come on. Have I ever what?"

The biotic growled lightly. "This is fuckin' stupid but…have you ever looked at this person that catches your eye and wonder if that could have been _you_ if shit in your life went differently?"

Shepard grinned at her, "I used to all the damn time."

Jack brought her arms down to rest on her stomach now as she turned her head to meet his gaze. "You did? What made ya' stop?"

His smiled widened with great sincerity, "I met you. I'm happy with where and what I am now."

Jack growled then flung herself over his body to give him the hardest punch she could manage at the given time. Shepard, who had braced himself for this moment, caught her by the wrists in surprise and held them down onto his chest firmly, not allowing her to hit him. Jack could feel the loud pounding of his heart within its tight confines and she froze in amazement. Her eyes traced the shape of his chest and the grip his hands had over hers. Slowly and unexpectedly softly, Jack removed her wrists from his grasp and brought her head down onto his chest, planting her ear over the spot where Shepard had held her hands. The biotic closed her eyes and listened to its powerful and steady rhythm:

_thumpthump…thumpthump…thumpthump…thumpthump_

John lifted his head to observe her. She had the same face he saw back on the Citadel as she looked out into the pinkish atmosphere: Peaceful. Calm. He knew right then he was able to touch her. Slowly he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her body's length against his.

This moment lasted for a good, long time before Shepard broke the silence with a question, "…Jack?"

She kept her eyes closed but answered anyways in her usual annoyed tone, "…what?"

"What scenarios run through your head?"

The ex-convict's eyes fluttered open, gazing off into the deep blue of the fish tank. "Pushy fucker aren't ya?"

He could do nothing but grin stupidly. "Guess so."

She hesitated like she always had before, nervous of what he might think of her, "When I see the kid… I like to imagine that _that's_ what I would be like. Yeah she still got experimented on, but…she wasn't old enough to remember it and somehow got away from everything that could have happened afterwards. I wonder that… maybe if I had gotten away like she did, that I'd be some completely different person today. Ya' know? Just another chick with long hair and no ink or scars on her body. Pretty stupid shit, huh?"

John ran his fingers down her left forearm to a tattoo of a woman with long, flowing dark hair that shared a similar profile to Jack herself. "Is that what _this_ is?"

Jack lowered her eyes to meet where his hand was. "….yeah. She's my 'whatif'. I guess she's what I wanted to be once upon a time in a kingdom far, far away. Kind of a shitty ink job, but it's there now and ain't nothing I can do about it when removal ain't an option."

John rested his head back on his pillow and caressed his thumb across the tattoo.

She lifted her head from his chest to stare at his face, "Don't you say a word of this to anyone, Shepard? You hear me?"

He chuckled as he nodded lifting his face again to meet hers, "I hear you loud and clear, Jack."

"Fuckin'A you do! _And,_ if you're gonna' keep asking me shit then I'm putting a cap on how many questions you can ask."

He laughed lightly, "Are you _serious_?"

Her eyes narrowed, showing exactly how serious she was. "You get one personal question every two days, gotit? But I get to ask whatever the hell I feel like, _when_ I feel like it."

He shook his head, "That's a little one sided don't you think?"

"You want to know more about me? You do it on my terms."

While not really liking the conditions set, he did want Jack bad enough to agree to her anyways. "….fine. We'll play by your rules."

Jack brought her face over his and furrowed her brow. "Just so you know…you already used your question today."

Shepard rolled his eyes. "Of _course_ I did," he said sarcastically.

"Two days," She restated, peering over him.

John sighed but smiled none-the-less. "Two days."

Jack was about to lower herself back onto her side of the bed before Shepard tightened his grip around her. "The fuck, Shepard?" she asked annoyed.

He grinned gently. "Come here…"

She raised a brow, her face still above his. "How much fuckin' closer can I get? I said I liked you weird Shepard, but this is just _pushing_ it."

John raised his free hand to softly grab her chin and run his thumb over her plush lower lip. She rolled her eyes. "I ain't here for your amusement."

"I know and I'm not asking for you to amuse me," he said honestly.

Jack squint her eyes, "…then what the fuck are you asking?"

Shepard's light blue eyes looked straight into her dark hazel ones, "I would like it very much if you let me kiss you."

The biotic backed up her head and raised a brow once more, "…did you seriously _ask_ to kiss me?"

He nodded, "I did."

"Weird, Shepard. Just…_weird_ as a _fuck_."

The commander grinned, "I thought you said you liked me weird?"

She clenched her jaw and looked away, "I do it's just... no one's ever asked me that before. It was either always taken by force or I was to drunk or doped up to give a damn. Sometimes all three."

He brought his finger to her chin again and forced her to look at him. "I guess that makes me unique then and most definitely not like them."

Her eyes softened for a second, showing him that just maybe she agreed with him. Or at least, that's what he wanted to believe. "So may I?"

Jack inhaled lightly. It wasn't like they had never kissed before, it's just this time something felt so incredibly delicate about the moment. She was scared of ruining it but didn't want to refuse it at the same time. Her voice was shaky, almost insecure when she looked away and replied, "….fine."

John smiled, taking the fingers under her chin to guide her lips to his in a slow dance of passion. Jack found herself arching her body into Shepard's naturally while his strong arms wrapped around her lower back and pushed them even further together, taking every possible centimeter of free space between them and forcing the crevasses to be filled with heat and pressure. The biotic found her fingertips digging into his chest and sighing contently into his kiss, Shepard returning the feeling with the softest of groans.

The moment their lips parted, it was only because they both lacked the breath to continue.

Both of them stared into each others half-lidded eyes and John knew this moment was one that would bring them forever closer. He brought the biotic back down onto him and held her firmly, liking the warmth their two bodies produced when they touched. He had known it for a long time but had never told her—never dared to even mention it to her because he knew the pace she needed to go at, and knew she needed to figure her own feelings out by herself. But even so, through every action and every soft look he ever gave her, he silently screamed that he was falling in love with the psychotic ex-convict only known as _Jack_.

Jack put her ear back to his heart, listening to the music it produced from within his body. For once in her life she didn't give a smart ass comment or pull away back into her safety zone, because for the first time ever (brief as it might be) she felt that this _was_ her safety zone. She had seen the way Shepard looked at her sometimes. At first it had made her uncomfortable and annoyed, but then as time went on it started to make her feel attractive and wanted. Maybe this man would be the first man that actually meant what he said when he said it. Shepard had never lied about anything to her before and had never given her a reason to doubt him.

In her mind this was to good to be true, but despite all the bullshit she had put him through, and all the head and heartaches she must have given him—he was still back with her the next day, poking and prodding at her, willing her to give bits and small pieces of whatever it was she felt like offering. Eventually, all those bits and pieces accumulated into this moment, the very moment where they were now with her head over his heart and his arms around her protectively. She knew that Shepard knew that she could take care of herself, but it moved her somewhere deep in her numb heart that he still felt the urge to _try_. And because of this action she knew this man was something special. She knew that she could turn her back to him and not worry if he'd strike at her. And for this thought to come into her mind, she also knew that she was beginning to fall in love…and it scared her.

Would she tell him? No. If he asked right now, would she answer honestly? No. But would she try to work on it? Yes. And for her to decide that showed change in her something fierce.

John closed his eyes, happy that just for tonight he would get the chance to hold her like this as they slept. "Jack…maybe you should talk to her tomorrow."

Jack rubbed her cheek softly against his bare chest. "Who the hell are you talkin' about?"

John grabbed his comforter with his other hand and tossed it over the two of them. "Teagan."

The biotic was silent for a moment, considering the idea in her head. "…I ain't very good with kids, Shepard."

"Couldn't hurt to try though could it?"

Jack was tired and started to get angry. "Let met think about it okay? For now will ya' just shut up and let me sleep?"

"Yes," Shepard grinned, "…my queen."

Jack lazily tossed an arm over his torso and made herself comfortable against him. Remembering the comment from a week or so earlier she yawned, "…and don't you fuckin' forget it."

After another moment of silence Jack was the next to speak up. "Hey, Shepard?"

John couldn't help but laugh as seeing she _just_ told him to shut up. "Yeah, Jack?"

She began to drift off into slumber, "…if you get a boner tonight, I'll chop it the fuck off in the morning. Fair warning."

Shepard's eyes shot open.

Jack smiled, giving a singsong response as her eyes closed, "Goodniiiight."

[End Eleven: Welcome to the Normandy]

* * *

_A/N: I would love to hear what you think on London and Teagan. It's a little harder incorporating new characters into an already well known crew, but I find that I love the creative freedom that comes with having them. _


	12. Oats We Sow

_Disclaimer: The Mass Effect Universe and everything in it belongs to BioWare. I only lay claim to London and Teagan._

_

* * *

_

[Chapter Twelve: Oats We Sow]

**Commander's Cabin**

**Second day of Flight to Omega**

**8AM**

Shepard awoke with a start, instantly looking over his manhood to check its status update. _All clear_. He exhaled happily then turned his attention to a still sleeping Jack. She had not moved one inch during the entire night so there she lay with her ear over his heart and still very much entangled in him. Her arm was dominantly placed over his stomach and her leg was thrown over both of his, making it seem in an odd way that she'd been clinging. It made him smile.

John took the quiet moment to examine the top of her head then bring his free hand over to gently rub a thumb over her scalp. The need to chuckle overwhelmed him and he freely let it out, causing his chest to shake gently and stir the woman who rested calmly on it.

Her voice was thick with sleep and her lids fluttered open to reveal still tired eyes rimmed with pink. "…what's so funny that you felt the need to wake me up?" Her intonation would easy make any other grown man curl up in a fetal position and weep, but Shepard refused to remove that grin that infuriated her, and without any hint of self preservation…rubbed his thumb over her scalp a few more times.

Jack's head snapped up and glared anger made of molten lightning through her eyeballs. "Do I fuckin' look like a dog?"

Momentarily caught off guard by the fire and brimstone, he retrieved his hands and lifted his brows, suddenly becoming more amused than anything else. "…_really_ not a morning person are you?"

She leaned in closer with her laser beams of hate and began to scowl. Shepard waved a mock white flag. "I wasn't petting you!"

She squinted, "Then what the fuck were you doing?"

John pointed a finger at her hair, "It's just…your hair. It's starting to grow a little."

Jack growled, "So? I ain't had time to fuckin' fix it the way I like."

Shepard grinned, "I know but I saw it and just couldn't help myself. I like it."

The fire in her eyes went out instantly. "…oh. Well… don't do it anymore."

The commander chuckled softly. "I'm sorry."

She examined his face, her eyes still seeming as if they were deciding on what to do with him. But before a decision was met, Shepard slightly leaned up to kiss her lips.

Jack instantly pulled away and rolled over to the cooler side of the sheets, "Guh! What the shit, Shepard!"

His eyes grew wide with concern as he moved into a sitting position, "What? What'd I do?"

"…morning breathe like a _motherfuck_!" She smacked her mouth as if just tasting something horrible then wiped her lips.

Shepard covered his face with his palm and laughed, "…I can't do anything right."

"You know what you can do right?" she asked, turning over to look at him with a disapproving face.

"What's that?"

"Brush your fuckin' teeth."

**xxxxxxx**

**Med Bay**

**Same Time**

Helen blinked away the morning and yawned loudly as she fixed her working space for the days events. It had been a rather long week and she had decided to go to bed without putting everything away in its proper place. Chakwas filled out last minute paper work, filed and labeled them, then turned to her terminal. She had completely forgotten to add the Normandy's new guests into her personal medical database. If something were to ever happen to her data pad, she'd always have the files backed up and ready to go again.

Dr. Chakwas plugged in her pad, typed in her code, and transferred the data from both girls. Helen had always been the type of woman to review what she had prescribed based on the results she had received, and though these two were not part of the crew, they were certainly still her patients and she would give them the same courtesy as well.

She reviewed Teagan first, making mental checks as she went along her list. "Everything looks good with this one," she said to the empty med bay, closing the data and moving on to her last target.

The results popped onto her terminal's display and Chakwas began her normal routine, mumbling to herself along the way, "Tissue…check…fine….fine….healthy….norm—" Helen stopped to rub what might be extra grogginess in her eyes and then checked again. "…Well _that_ can't be right. I would have noticed a difference like that." The doctor opened a separate window and brought up Teagan's data once more, placing it side by side to London's. "…there is no possi—"

Helen blinked at her terminal's screen in confusion, calling the ship's A.I as she gathered her thoughts, "…Edi."

The A.I. responded quickly, "Dr. Chakwas?"

"Edi, I need you to bring John down here right away."

"Yes, Dr. Chakwas. What should I tell the Commander it is concerning?"

"It's concerning our new guests… and tell him it's urgent."

"Of course."

** xxxxxxx **

**Commander's Cabin**

**Same Time**

He gargled, he spit, and he spun around to meet the grinning Jack, "All better now, highness?"

The biotic leaned against the doorframe with crossed arms, "Don't give me your shit. If _you_ could have smelt whatever was in your damn mouth—you would've bitched about it too."

Shepard casually made his way up to her and leaned on the same side of the door frame, only inches away from her, "…what about now?"

Jack could clearly see his need to kiss her in his eyes. Normally she would have pushed him back violently or just walked away herself, but something at the bottom of her stomach made a small flip when he asked the question. If there was one thing she ever had to give Shepard credit for—it wouldn't be for saving the galaxy, it would be his kisses. They were _damn_ good.

John had began his lips decent onto hers when Edi quickly rang out into his cabin, "Excuse the interruption Commander, but Dr. Chakwas requests your presence in the medical bay stating it was very urgent and about the Normandy's new arrivals."

Shepard looked at Jack then walked out of the bathroom and into his living area. "Tell her I'll be there right away, Edi."

"Yes, Commander."

Jack turned around and looked at him, "…she said 'excuse the interruption'. Is she always…watching us?"

Shepard laughed as he quickly began to get dressed in his casual wear. "Edi _is_ the Normandy. I think you already know the answer to that question, Jack."

The biotic eyeballed the ceiling of Shepard's cabin. "Fuckin' pervert."

When the commander finished dressing he made his way to the door then turned around towards Jack, "Did you want to come?"

She only stared at him with a cocked brow.

Shepard grinned, "Figured as much."

Jack walked into the bathroom again, "I'm gonna' grab a shower—talk later."

**xxxxxxx**

Shepard pressed the elevator's button to head down to deck three, "EDI, tell Lawson to meet up with me at the medical bay. If it's urgent, I want my second in command there."

"Yes, Commander Shepard."

**xxxxxxx**

When the elevator doors opened to the third deck, Miranda was already in front of the elevator waiting for him. "Shepard," she greeted with her usual business demeanor.

John put a hand on her shoulder and tugged her in the direction of the Med Bay, "Walk with me, Lawson. I just got a call from Helen saying it was urgent."

"Concerning, Sir?"

"Our new arrivals, and before you ask—that's what we're about to find out."

When the pair walked through the door they were greeted by Dr. Chakwas' back. She was reviewing her data pad for the fourth time and was ranting on to herself in a tone that was barely audible. When she heard the hiss of her doors she swung around, a slight worried look on her face.

"I'm sorry to call you down so early Commander, but it seems I missed a rather large detail in their medical reports. I would have let you known last night but I was just so tired and—"

John put a hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes, "Helen, it's alright. It's been a _hell_ of a last few weeks and we're all tired. We haven't had a break, so just take a second to breathe and then tell me what's going on."

Chakwas exhaled then took a second to gather her sentence, "John, what I'm about to show you and Miranda has _still_ got to stay behind closed lips. I will not breech my doctor/patient confidentiality more than I already have to. But you need to know about this simply because the find is…odd. Or rather, it makes no sense given the relationship we've seen."

Miranda raised an eyebrow and looked to John who extended his hand to accept the data pad. "Unless it concerns lives aboard this vessel, it will remain between us," he reassured. Shepard looked over the comparison of data and shook his head, "Okay, forgive me but I have no idea what I'm looking at here. These charts, those letters—I'm not seeing the problem."

Lawson grinned and leaned over to examine the pad with him. Her eyes scanned the data, falling onto London's vaginal scarring results first, and then moving on to the next section, brows going up in curiosity. "…well that can't be right."

John looked at Miranda then Helen and then back again between the two. "Okay I hate being the one to break up such a moment of jaw dropping discovery, but would someone mind telling me what the _hell_ I'm looking at?"

Miranda pointed at the pad's section on tissue and genetics. "Shepard take a look right here. Do you see these letters and the diagram next to it?"

He nodded, "And?"

"Compare them to Teagan's genetics."

He sighed, starting to get annoyed. "I don't see anything, Lawson."

"Exactly."

He glanced at her, "What?"

Miranda took the pad and held it up before the two, "Shepard, in siblings the genetic material is identical by at least fifty percent: twenty five percent from their mother and twenty five percent from their father."

John squint his eyes as he reviewed both sets of data, the truth starting to become clear in his mind. "But these aren't identical in the slightest..."

Miranda brought the pad down to her side and looked at him, not able to fathom the words leaving her mouth, "Correct. Sir, London is _not_ Teagan's sister. They're not even related."

Dr. Chakwas nodded her head, reaching over to take back her data pad. "I'm sorry I didn't catch it sooner, Commander."

Lawson furrowed her brow, "…there has to an explanation, Shepard. They _have_ to be related. We've _seen_ how London is with Teagan, how she snaps to attention and acts out when she feels the child is in danger. That's what we do," she said, her own mind racing over thoughts of Oriana, "…that's what _a big sister_ does."

John lifted his hands to silence his two rambling crew members, his frustration beginning to build up. He _hated_ being lied to, "Everyone calm down. Medical data doesn't lie and our equipment is definitely not faulty. It's simple. They're not related. And though we are shocked to hear about it, we need to find out who the hell London is to Teagan and why they're together in the first place. I will not have them aboard this ship with secrets that could put our lives in danger." The two nodded their heads silently, waiting for Shepard to finish his train of thought and command. "Alright, Helen just go on about your day as if normal and we'll take it from here…and thank you for bringing this to my attention. Miranda, it seems we owe our older guest a visit. I am _not_ partial to lies, and she has some serious explaining to do if she expects to remain on my ship."

Miranda exhaled softly but nodded her head, "Of course, Commander."

**xxxxxxx**

**Portside Observation/ London's Quarters**

Like every other morning for the past five years, London's eyes snapped open with a heaving chest and damp skin. Teagan, who fell into routine of calming her, patted her older sister's stomach with a lazy hand and groggy voice, "…s'okay London...safe."

London covered her face with the palms of her hands and exhaled, rubbing away the terrible nights sleep but careful not to touch her facial wound. "…go back to sleep, Tee. I need to get up already."

The only reply she got from the child was an unclear mumble and a random giggle that followed.

London threw her feet over the edge of the bed and popped her neck and back before attempting to stand. Though her sleep wasn't good, it was better than most days so she felt oddly refreshed as she searched through her pack and pulled out a clean pair of laced white undergarments, another tank top that was also white in color, and low cut blue jeans. She had felt the urge to have a hot shower again that morning and indulged herself in such an act while Shepard and Miranda entered her room.

The two searched the quarters only to find a sleeping Teagan and the sound of water from the bathroom. John sighed then nodded his head towards Miranda in the direction of the door. They exited.

When it shut behind them Shepard called out, "Edi, patch into the portside observation's bathroom and tell London that we need to speak with her _now_. Don't wake the kid."

"Right away, Commander."

London had just finished rinsing her hair out when Edi's voice made her literally jump within the small confines. "Miss London, Commander Shepard would like to speak with you outside your quarters now."

She eyeballed the entire room, covering her breasts and squeezing her thighs shut as she spoke up, "What the hell—just um…tell him I'm in the shower, please."

Edi's voice chimed back in her usual matter of fact tonality, "The Commander did not express his authority as a request, but rather an order."

London, still covering herself, sighed loudly and continued to look around the room. "Okay—um, can you just leave please? This is rather unnerving as seeing my position here. Just tell your Commander that I'll be right out, I need to dress if you don't mind."

"Very well."

Edi's voice came back out to speak with Shepard, "Commander, she requested that you wait while she dresses."

John only rolled his eyes, turning to Miranda who put a hand on his forearm trying to calm his soon to be angry demeanor. "Commander, it _is_ 8:30AM and most people do shower in the mornings. So let's just give her a minute then we'll talk."

Shepard patted her hand once and a little too roughly before leaning his back against the empty wall by the door. "She has one minute."

Miranda gave a small smile of relief, surprised at her own growth in patience these past few weeks.

After forty-five seconds London appeared outside the doors in her chosen attire, turning her eyes to meet Shepard's and then Miranda's. "You wanted to talk?"

Shepard clenched his jaw tightly before Miranda made the first move, eyeing Shepard then looking to London, "If you would follow us into my office, please."

**xxxxxxx**

By the time the three arrived at Miranda's office, Shepard was already well into irritated. _"How can she act so damn casually about this?"_

Miranda sat down at her station then offered the chair opposite to London who took it and shot glances at them both. "Mr. Shepard, is this about the conversation we needed to have regarding your Mr. Anderson?"

John, who remained standing, shook his head as he leaned onto Lawson's desk. "Actually, it's not. I think you know what this about, London. Please, do _not_ play stupid with me. As it is, my patience and good natured self is starting to wear down into someone you really don't want to fuck with."

The woman furrowed her brows, "I honestly don't have the slightest clue as to what you're possibly upset with me for." She began to think back to her examination, "…is this about my scarring? Because I fail to see why that has _anything_ to do with you."

Shepard raised his brow then clenched his jaw, "I don't know what damn scarring you're talking about. London, I _know_ about the genetic similarities between you and your so called sister. There aren't any! You're not even related!"

London's eyes grew wide and her fingers circled around the arms of her chair tightly. _"How could I have been so stupid as to overlook the possibility that this ship had the capabilities to determine such detailed information from a simple body scan and tissue swab…"_

Shepard leaned in a little further, "Well?"

London cleared her throat, trying to find the means of responding, "Listen, I know this is unexpected but I don't think you—"

John had just about had it with her excuses and avoidance, "—don't try to talk your way out of this one. If you don't start explaining right now, I'm going to escort you off my ship through _a trash compactor_. Now London, I know you don't know me very well, but let me explain something to you: I take my role as Commander of this ship very, _very_ seriously. And when I pick up a perfect stranger from a low key mission, and allow them to stay on this vessel while showing them as much courtesy as I can offer—I _expect_ them to be _compliant_."

Miranda couldn't protest. He was right. They had been incredibly good them this short stay on the Normandy, and with the only known facts about them being their name and their supposed sibling status. But out of the two known details—only one ended up being true. Not a very good start for the sniper.

London was silent for the longest of time, looking down into her lap and trying to gather enough focus to respond. There was no getting out of this one. "She _is_ my sister…just not by blood."

Shepard stood up correctly and crossed his arms, "Explain."

"…do you remember when you asked me where I learned to shoot?"

The commander raised an eyebrow but nodded, "Your father."

London looked up to meet Shepard's heavy gaze, "My father was a mercenary for the Blue Suns. Seven years ago he along with three others were hired to kidnap a biotic child and turn it in to a group of scientists for a buyer who had an interest and _a lot_ of creds. It wasn't the kind of mission my father took interest in, but the pay was very good and my family wasn't exactly well off."

She took a breath, going back along the length of her memories to explain, "They turned the child in as expected. What my father did _not_ expect, however, were the tests and experiments. It was just a _baby_ for God's sake. I remember him telling me that he was stationed to guard the secluded facility for days after the child was brought to the scientists. Night after night he would guard the baby's door and _endure_ the ear splitting wailing of a child in pain."

Shepard kept his steel gaze upon her but Miranda, guided by London's choice of words, was the one to ask a question, "…he took the child, didn't he?"

London swallowed, feeling her throat becoming dry. "My mother and I knew what my father was. He was a mercenary—something that we as a whole were not to proud of. We all knew the risk factors and of the sometimes unmoral choices he needed to make. But with a sick wife and no one wanting to hire me for a second job, _his_ job paid the bills. And while he did not like the person he was while on the job, when he came home my father _was_ a good man. He was just trying to do his best for his family."

Shepard, though still somewhat angry, found it in him to lower the evidence of it in his voice, "Continue, please."

London nodded. "My father took the child yes… and when he did, my mother and I didn't hear from him for four months. I think it was because he didn't want to lead the Suns back to his family, but to this day I'm still uncertain as to why or where he went. However, when he did eventually return…it was with the baby: with Teagan."

Shepard couldn't hold his anger forever, and he was starting to understand why they weren't blood related, "…so your family took her in."

"Mr. Shepard, from the moment I laid eyes on her I knew I loved her. Call me a Drell, but there's a specific moment I can recall with utter clarity: I remember my giant hand reaching into her tiny bed trying to touch the newly sprouted tuft of hair on the top of her tender head. But, as I reached down…this pair of _tiny_ hands reached out to clasp my finger. She looked up at me with these big green eyes that just exploded with joy to see me, and she gave me the largest smile I had ever seen. Granted it was a very toothless smile, but it was positively the most beautiful. I admired how even though her little ear obviously still hurt her, was deep red and stitched in all sorts of directions, this little person had the _courage_ to keep smiling, to keep living and loving." Her voice was uncharacteristically soft as she blinked away any signs of teardrops, "I knew then, at that exact moment, that _this_ was my little sister and that I'd protect and watch over her for as long as I lived. It didn't matter to me that we weren't blood. I felt blessed that whatever or whoever it is leading us on our paths up there was kind enough to send her to our family."

Shepard exhaled lightly, rubbing his eyes. He shouldn't have raised his tone with her. He should have given her the chance to explain. But how could he have known? "…what happened to your parents?"

London took her time as she guided her mind through fragile memories and re-opened her old wounds, "The year I turned twenty and Teagan turned two we discovered the same men who worked with my father had been hired to find him, kill him, and retrieve the child. Our home was harder to find than most peoples. We were on a small planet well outside any known cities and hidden beneath large and wild plant life. But in the end, location is no match for skill. We were found none-the-less. My mother, weak as she was, took me and Teagan to hide in a crafted space underneath the floorboards of her and father's bedroom. She placed dad's incisor rifle in my hand and told me to stay with Tee, that if anyone of those mercs came even _remotely_ close to us to shoot them without thinking…just like daddy had taught me. She told us that she and my father loved us with all their souls and that she had to go back and try to help rid them from our home."

London's lower lip began to tremble lightly as her eyes shut and took her back to place she didn't want to be.

"_Shh…shhhh, its okay, Tee. We'll be alright, I have you…"_

_The two year old whined softly. "…dark..."_

_London whispered, rocking the child gently in her left arm as her right hand gripped the rifle with fright and intensity, "I know, sweetie. But we'll be out of here soon enough, just keep holding your hands to your ears and it'll all go away soon."_

Her eyes snapped open, letting a shaky breath leave her lips, "There was a lot of screaming. I could hear them yelling at my mother first, my father yelling back at them to leave her out of it. They kept asking her, 'Where is the girl! The child! Where is the biotic child!' …and when she didn't answer…there was a gunshot."

London looked up at the lights on the ceiling, refusing to let her tears come out. "I'll never forget the sound my father made. It started as this deep, guttural wail…but ended in a scream so angry and hurt I swore it shook the very walls of our home. After what sounded like they beat and tortured him they realized he'd never tell them where I or Teagan were hiding. So, just like my mother, they shot him and tried to look for us themselves. I heard their loud footsteps boom around the entire house from underneath the floorboards, furniture flipping over and glass shattering now and then. Teagan was being a good girl and held her hands to her ears like I had told her, remaining as quiet as she could possibly be. Then after what felt like an eternity I finally heard a storm of angry talking and loud curses as they left our home, the sound of a vehicle leaving soon after."

The sniper brought eyes down to her lap, rubbing them gently as though tired.

"…when I felt it was safe to leave, I took us out of our hiding spot. I made sure to leave Teagan in my parent's bedroom as I went out to get some of our belongings." She swallowed a lump in her throat, "…I already _knew_ what to expect, but nothing you could ever prep yourself for would prepare you for seeing the people you loved dead on your living room floor. But no matter, I placed their bodies side by side and covered them with some quilts I had helped mama make."

London wrinkled her brows, voice starting to crack, "You know…I never even had the chance to mourn or bury them properly. But," she tried to regain her composure, "…I knew what had to get done. I took my father and mother's joint account credit chit, packed some precious belongings and clothes, and then took my little sister and left the place we'd only ever knew. However many credits were on that chit was what I used to buy for our ride on the first shuttle off the planet. Unfortunately it was to Omega," she scoffed, "…oh the irony. We leave to escape the Blue Suns only to end up in a city they preferred. But we had the upper hand. They had no idea what either of us looked like. As long as I played it cool I knew we could get by while being right under their noses. So I kept Teagan's hair long to hide her ears, found us a hole in the wall to live in, and started to work odd jobs around Omega, home-schooling Teagan as she got older."

"Odd jobs?" Shepard asked.

London nodded, "Omega is a hard place to live in, Commander. I did whatever I could to get paid. Petty theft for paying clients, secret deliveries or transports—you know, things that no one is ever proud to do. I did things this way until about six months into living in that wretched city. The times started getting rougher and there was no longer any work to be found. I couldn't afford to pay our rent on time and there was barely any food on the table for Teagan to eat. I needed something that paid more and something that paid fast."

John looked at her with a questioning gaze.

London sighed gently, hating that she had to talk so much. "I ran into this guy named Flex, a human with a cheap purple suit and a poor attitude towards females in general. He looked me over and I guess liked what he saw. He offered me a job at Afterlife as a dancer and server. He said if I could gain the cliental that he'd be paying me very well and on the spot. I wasn't in the position for declining."

Miranda, who remembered London's medical review, spoke up, "…the scarring…is that—"

"—Yes, ma'am." London's eyes became cold and unfeeling towards the subject matter, "You get paid a lot more if clients accept your proposal of 'company' after private dances." She sighed, "These men were not ones for 'prepping' their partners. They got what they wanted no matter how it felt for me—and believe me when I say that I can't count a single one of them that was gentle."

Shepard looked struck, "…how many were—"

"Does it matter?" she responded flatly. "I did what I had to do to ensure that I put food in Teagan's mouth and that I kept her happy and healthy."

Miranda's eyes were saddened but she tried to keep her tone professional, "…does she know?"

London shook her head, "She does not and I would very much appreciate it if it remained that way."

Shepard had heard enough, "It will. I promise. And…" he sighed heavily, "I'm sorry."

The sniper shook her head and lightly shrugged her shoulders, "No need. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Not just for coming off a little strong towards you, but for everything that—"

London cut him off, her tone softer but still firm. "—like I said, there's no need."

John quietly nodded his head, taking her point. "I need to speak with Dr. Chakwas. I'm sure she's wondering what's going on."

Miranda nodded her head and watched him go, leaving the two women alone.

The Australian cleared her throat, "…may I ask you something?"

London was quiet for a moment, but to Miranda's surprise, she gave Lawson a half smile and tired shrug. "You might as well, Miss Lawson. I believe at this point you know every personal detail of my life… so what's another question, right?"

Miranda blinked, "_Did she just actually make a joke?"_

London stared at her, waiting for the question to be asked.

"Right, this may be a bit stupid to ask but have you ever had feelings of remorse after everything that's happened to you?"

London grinned half heartedly and shook her head, "What? Like did I ever once blame Tee for all the wicked turns of events?"

Miranda could only shrug, now embarrassed that she had even asked.

"Never. Like I said before, my family knew the repercussions of my father's job. Besides, it wasn't Teagan's fault that she was just born with a biotically gifted body. She didn't ask to be stolen or experimented on, or even ask to be brought to my family as a matter of fact. My mother and father died protecting a child they loved and for that I will never hold her responsible." London sighed, "…anything else?"

Miranda kind of hated herself right now, "…yes, I'm sorry. It's just you never mentioned how Teagan got taken from you."

London groaned lightly, "I guess you should know that. Well, we lived alright for five years on Omega. But one day as I came home from work, I saw my apartment door open and two Suns taking my flailing sister by the arms. Somehow they found out about her. She was _trying_ to defend herself but her biotics are highly untrained, she could only ever flare up and from time to time and cause biotic burns…but even then they had armor. I knew if I were to act, not only would I have gotten killed, but there'd be no one to help rescue her this time. So when they took her I grabbed a bag, my rifle, and trailed them. I even managed to board the same vessel they used to take her to Almos and that's where you all came in. I'm pretty sure the rest is clear to you all after that."

"Almost. Do you know anything about the one who wanted to buy your sister?"

"I do not. I'm still unclear as to how they even managed to find out we were on Omega. But believe me when I say that I _will_ find out, and when I do… they _will_ die."

Miranda considered her words as she typed away at her terminal, "Thank you very much for answering everything we had to ask."

"May I go? I need to check on my sister and make sure she's fed this morning."

Miranda gave her a considerate nod. "Yes, I'm sorry for keeping you so long."

The two woman exchanged looks before London went off on her way.

Miranda let out a huge exhale then placed her warm forehead on her desk's cold surface. "… _shit_," was the only thing she could manage to bring herself to say.

**[**End 12: Oats We Sow]

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_A/N: I rather enjoyed typing out London and Teagan's story methinks. I would love to hear back from everyone. What are you all thinking so far?_


	13. To do what is Best

_Disclaimer: The Mass Effect Universe and everything in it belongs to BioWare. I only lay claim to London and Teagan._

_Thanks to my beta reader zebrahater, you're pretty much a bowl of awesome. That's right. A whole bowl.  
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[Chapter Thirteen: To do what is best]

When London had exited Miranda's office she noticed a loud gathering of people who all seemed to be enjoying themselves. She entered the eating area to observe Teagan was among many of the Normandy crew: Shepard, Jack, and Chakwas included, eating breakfast and listening to their friendly banter.

London leaned against the wall, watching how everyone seemed to love the little biotic—even Jack's eyes didn't look at Teagan with their customary hellfire. Jack might not have been speaking to Teagan (for the sake of appearances of course), but she definitely didn't seem to mind the child.

It was nice seeing her little sister this way. She was so happy and free to walk amongst actual decent people, a rare breed in London's experience. Teagan didn't have any friends with the exception of Mr. Wiggles, but he real either so seeing her like this gave London a kind of comfort she hadn't had in a long time.

Determined not to ruin the moment for her little sister London waved to Teagan as she passed the little biotic in the eating area and reassuringly called out, "Go ahead and stay and eat as much as they let you. I'm feeling tired so I think I'll go take a nap. If you need anything, you run back to me okay?"

Teagan was hesitant to leave her sister alone but with the reassurance in London's voice figured it must be alright. "Oh. Okay! I'll be here with Mr. Shepard!"

John looked over to London, feeling awkward as seeing he forced her to practically pour her soul out to him. "She'll be fine with us. Oh—and London? "

She gazed over him tiredly, "Yes?"

"Can we talk later tonight? If you're up for it that is…"

London looked over his face with quiet consideration before deciding to respond, "Yes. I would like to talk as well."

"I'll be by later then, ma'am."

The sniper nodded her head then went into her bedroom, plopping down on the bed with a loud groan. She was too tired to feel _anything_, so for now…sleep.

**xxxxxxx**

Jack internally grinned as she watched Teagan gobble up her breakfast platter. "Shit, Shepard. She eats like I do."

John laughed, going off to get another plate then coming back to place it in front of the child. "As much as you want, Teagan. Eat up!"

The little biotic slowed her chewing, embarrassed that she looked like a little piggy. "I-it's alright. I shouldn't eat too much, anyways. We have to save some for London."

Shepard could almost hear his heart break as he forced himself to casually ask, "…was food hard to come by on Omega?"

The little girl nodded, "Uh-huh. But it's funny… sometimes I wouldn't see London eat anything all day! She'd just keep saying 'I'm full, Tee, you eat mine. I had a lot yesterday.' But…I don't remember her eating much the day before either!"

John looked off in the direction of the sniper's room before turning back to ruffle the little girl's hair. "Well _here_ you can eat as much as you want when you want. Don't worry about London. I'm sure she'll get as much as she wants too."

Teagan looked up at him with a shocked expression, "Really? I-I can eat as much as I want?"

He grinned, "Really."

It didn't take more than that one word. Within seconds she was practically inhaling her food, Jack following right behind her. The pair was quite the sight to see.

"M-Mr. Shepard," she asked through a mouthful of eggs.

John laughed, "Yeah, Teagan?"

"When I'm done and wash my plate, can I explore the ship?"

He nodded his head, "…you don't have to wash your plate, but sure. You already know to stay away from the armor and gun racks though, right?"

She nodded her head firmly and very seriously, "Right!"

"Then I don't see a problem with it. Just make sure to be careful, and if you have any questions just call out for Edi and she'll explain everything about the room you're in."

Teagan swallowed her food, "Edi?"

Shepard tried to find a way to explain who she was, "Well…Edi is our ship's voice. If you ask her anything, she'll be more than happy to respond."

The child's eyes widened, "Your ship can talk? I've never seen that!"

A few crew members who were paying attention let out a heart filled chuckle, Shepard being one of them. "Well, there's nothing like our ship! She's special. So we try to take good care of her, see? I expect you to do the same!"

Teagan's face went serious again, saluting him in the best way she could, "Aye aye, Commander!"

As Teagan strolled away Dr. Chakwas couldn't help but gush over the charming little biotic, "Oh my God she's so cute!"

**xxxxxxx**

**Engineering Deck**

**Early Afternoon**

The child made her way out of the elevator, observing the humongous landing zone with wide eyes, "…whoaaaa…Edi where am I and what's down here!"

"You are on deck four, Miss Teagan: Engineering. Down here you will find our shuttle, the engine room, and several leading crew members of Commander Shepard's team including: Grunt, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah, and engineers Donnelly and Daniels."

"What's a Grunt?"

"Grunt: A worker used to do menial tasks. It is also a colloquialism for infantryman, one who serves in war and fights on foot, usually carrying a portable but powerful weapon of sorts."

"Whoaaaa…I wanna see Grunt!"

"To locate the specialist, please enter through the port cargo doors to your left."

Teagan turned and ran down the hallway, waiting for the doors to slide open then walk through. What she saw made her body freeze. It was the back of a Krogan in thick armor and even thicker looking skin. She had seen many Krogan during her years on Omega, but _never_ this close before. From far away she had always thought they were big. But close up? They were huge! She made the lightest of squeaks, causing the tank-bred to quickly turn and aim his loaded shotgun directly at her. Teagan flared up in a blue-black biotic aura and found herself unable to move.

"What is the tiny glowing human doing in my space?"

"..i-i-i'm sorry…I wanted to know what Mr. Grunt looked like. A-are you him?"

"I am Grunt, pure tank-bred Krogan of clan Urdnot."

"Hi…I-I'm Teagan of…um...clan Mr. Shepard."

Grunt immediately lowered his weapon. "You are here of the Battlemaster's request?"

Teagan swallowed the lump in her throat, nodding furiously at the tall Krogan. "H-he said I could explore the Normandy."

"I see. Very well then. Resume to your duty and I will resume to mine. But be warned, little glowing human, that if you touch my weapons—I will kill you."

"A-actually I think I've seen everything in t-this room. I'll be leaving now Mr. Grunt. Thank you and um…have a nice day…"

He nodded at her, "Little Human."

Teagan exited the room as quickly as her scared legs let her. Once the doors closed behind her she exhaled loudly. "Edi?"

"Yes, Miss Teagan?"

"Are there any more like _him_ on this ship?"

"Negative, Grunt is the only known krogan on this vessel."

Teagan sighed in relief. "That's good. Can I go through there next?" Her little finger pointed at the doors that lead to Tali and her crew.

"The Commander has specified that you have access to all parts of the ship."

"…okay," she said slowly walking through the doors and into the engineering room, peaking in her head first just to double check for any signs of Krogan. There were none. However, someone did catch her eye. A taller, curvier woman with only three toes and fingers wearing the most beautiful suit she'd ever seen. The naturally curious biotic walked quietly up behind the woman and reached out to touch the side of her stomach and feeling the material beneath.

Tali practically jumped out of her suit, yelling loudly at the gentle and unexpected touch, "_KEELAH!_"

Kenneth and Gabby snapped up their heads to see what had happened.

Teagan stumbled backwards and fell onto her rear while the Quarian quickly assessed the situation. Her bright eyes widened as she bent over to help the little girl up, "Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry, little one! I didn't expect the touch and I got nervous and thought it was—wait you're the one Shepard went to go get down on Almos, right?"

Teagan, who was giggling merrily, got back up onto her feet with the help of Tali and nodded. "Mhm! I'm Teagan," she happily said as she shook the hand that helped her up in friendly greetings, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Tali blinked at the lightly shaking hands, "Tali'Zorah vas Normandy."

The little biotic chuckled again.

Tali, who was now smiling behind her visor, shook her head in puzzlement. "What may I ask is so funny?"

"Nothin'. I just really like hearing you talk. Your accent is pretty...and so is your suit."

Tali looked down the front of her torso, "You like my enviro-suit?"

Teagan shook her head quickly, "Yeah…it's really nice."

Kenneth spoke out after hearing the comment while following Gabby in the direction of Tali and the child. "I agree with you, it _is_ pretty. Snug in all the _right_ places."

Gabby whacked him across his chest, making him chuckle heartily. He loved teasing her.

Kenneth leaned down to Teagan, "Polite little bugger aren't ye? I like that in a kid, it's a good strong base that will make for a wonderful adult." He ruffled her hair much like Shepard had, "Hey lass, how's that _sister_ of yours doing?"

"London? She's taking a nap right now. Mr. Shepard said I could explore the ship for a little while."

He squinted, "Does she still have that damned rifle with her?"

The little girl nodded, "Mhm! She always has it, silly. It was my daddy's."

Kenneth groaned disapprovingly. "Damn that woman and her combat skills."

Gabby smirked, "You're just worried that if she catches you staring again she'll kick your ass out the nearest airlock."

"Damn right I'm worried, woman! Oh how she teases a lad like me with those tight little tank-tops of hers."

Gabby rolled her eyes, "Kenneth, it's a tank top. They're light enough to keep you cool, and don't get in the way if you have to shoot. Besides, what kind of tank top do _you_ know of that's _not_ tight?"

Kenneth looked at her as if the question was stupid, "Really _big_ tank tops, that's what type!"

She covered her eyes and groaned, "…you're an idiot."

**xxxxxxx**

**Deck Three**

**Mid Afternoon**

She'd been wondering around all morning and afternoon and felt that she hadn't even found ten percent of the ship. So, making sure to discover every nook and cranny, she decided her next stop would be the armory. Teagan remembered and knew not to touch anything in there but really just wanted to see what it looked like. Upon entering the doors she was greeted by a happily chattering Jacob and Kasumi.

She offered them a shy smile and waved in her hellos. Jacob waved her over with a grin and Kasumi was the first to speak, "Ah there you are, Teagan! I'd been meaning to give something to you."

Teagan walked up to the couple with a curious expression on her face. "Like a present? Me?"

Kasumi chuckled; hopping off the table she was using as a seat and walking towards a chest full of her things. "Of course you! I heard a little bird tell me you were interested in painting. Were they right, or did I simply hear wrong?"

The little biotic excitedly walked over to the thief, peeking her eyes into the chest full of wonders. "I do! But who told you and...whoaaa…look at all those old books! London would love you!"

Kasumi chuckled, taking the large painters kit and leather protective case into her hands. "Well you tell her that she may borrow any one of my books any time she feels the desire to read."

"Really?" her eyes got wide.

"Really really. But! This is not about London; this is about _you_, little one. You see, on my travels I discovered this painting kit. It's rather large…full of assorted brushes and paints and what have you. But the problem is…I'm just not very good at painting and Jacob hasn't a drop of artistic creativity in him. He's a boring old soul."

Jacob waved his hand to draw their attention to where he sat looking insulted but playful, "Uh hi, I'm right _here_, Kas."

Kasumi grinned, "Like I was saying, we've no need for this. And if my little bird is correct…you're quite the gifted little artist. So Jacob and I thought it would be nice if you would take this heavy thing off our hands and made proper use of it. What do you say?"

Teagan reached out to touch the old leather casing and opened her mouth in awe, "Y-you wanna' give me this whole thing? All of it?"

Kasumi smiled gently, "All of it. Would you like it?"

The little biotic bit her lower lip, "I would feel bad. London already bought me one back on Omega. It's not as big as this one, but it's still good and it was a present also."

Kasumi put the kit down and leaned it on her leg, "Hmm…then I guess you're just going to have to have _two_ kits then!"

Teagan gasped, "Really? You don't care if I already have one?"

Kasumi and Jacob shook their heads, "Nope. That just means when your other one runs out you'll already have another one ready to go."

The child hugged Kasumi at her waist as tightly as she could manage. "Thank you, Miss Kasumi. Thank you very much. And thank you Jacob!"

Kasumi, having grown rather fond of the child despite their brief acquaintance, cleared her throat of the small choke welling up at Teagan's innocence, "Don't you worry about it. I'll have Jacob take it over to your room later on today, alright?"

Teagan nodded happily, turning to leave their room and give a small goodbye wave as she did so.

**xxxxxxx**

"So what's left, Edi?"

"Locations you have not discovered include: The Ship's Battery, The Tech Lab, Operative Lawson's office, The Pilot's Cockpit, and the Starboard Observation Deck. I suggest extreme caution. The Ship's Battery is not suitable for one your size or age. Accidents are probable."

Teagan wrinkled her nose, "We won't go there then. What's in the Tech Lab?"

"The Tech Lab houses our upgrading system. It is where Commander Shepard applies bought or found upgrades to both the Normandy and his squad's weapons or armor. The Salarian Dr. Mordin Solus resides in this department as well."

Teagan gulped, "Another doctor?"

"Correct, Miss Teagan."

"I think…I'll skip that place also," Teagan said nervously before her voice cheered up, "I liked Miranda! But I don't want to bother her if she's in her office…so I guess…that leaves two places?"

"Correct. The Pilot's Cockpit on deck two and the Starboard Observation on your current deck."

"Isn't that Starboard Obser-mavationplace across from my room?"

"The Starboard Observation is located right across the hall from your current residence. It is where the asari Justicar Samara resides."

Her eyes widened, "A _real_ Justicar is on this ship?"

"Correct."

Suddenly the little biotic knew where her last stop of the day would be.

**xxxxxxx**

**Starboard Observation**

**Late Afternoon**

Teagan was suddenly nervous facing the starboard observation's door. She eyed the big green light in the doorway's center and twiddled her thumbs timidly. There were many vids and stories about the Justicars and London sometimes read to her about the adventures they would go on to right the wrongs evil people committed, saving countless innocent lives while driving the wicked away. A Justicar was someone that Teagan grew up idolizing, so she didn't take it lightly that a hero was only several feet from her current location.

"…E-Edi?"

"Yes?"

"What if I'm not good enough to face her? I mean…I'm no one special…"

"The Justicar swear to follow their code. This code pledges them to the protection of the innocent, the punishment of the guilty, and defense of common law. If one does not believe she is good then practicality suggests that Samara will slay you." Edi's tone was painfully matter-of-fact.

Teagan's eyes grew wide with fear. "S-so if I'm not good enough, she'll…" Teagan gulped.

Jack, who had come down to see Teagan, and who had been listening the whole time, suddenly gave one of the walls a loud smack. "Oh shut your hole, you fuckin' overgrown tin can."

Teagan swung around and began her little biotic flare in fear of the loud bang.

Jack cocked her hip and raised her brow in amusement, "Look at you being all tough n' shit. I can do it too—watch." Jack smirked as she let her biotics flare up brightly around her entire body in hues of brilliant blues and purple blacks. "…booya."

The little biotic opened her mouth in awe as her own little field died out. "Whoa…I didn't know they got that big."

Jack snorted under her breath, "_…that's what she said."_

Teagan took a few steps towards the pro biotic, "…I wish mine could do that."

Jack cooled her biotic engines, "…who says it can't? Just gotta' practice, midget. I didn't start out this way either."

Teagan smiled softly at her, making Jack feel really uncomfortable. She rubbed the back of her neck, "So…what the hell are you doin' outside the old squid-head's door anyways?"

The little biotic turned back around, admiring the door that kept her precious hero confined within. "…Did you know there's a real Justicar in there?"

"Yeah. So what?"

"So what? They're the most awesomest people in the entire galaxy! The fight the bad guys and save the good people!"

Jack leaned against the wall and crossed her arms, "…you been readin' those damned adventure books?"

Teagan turned to face her and nodded furiously, "Uh-huh! London reads them to me sometimes! My favorite one is about this Justicar named Adr—"

"Yo kid, if she's so amazing why not just go in and talk ta' her?"

"…but if I'm not good enough she'll," she remembered the term Edi used, "…slay me."

Jack let out a loud laugh, "Trust me. You ain't her type. Just walk the fuck in and talk to her—come on, I'll go in with you. Haven't seen Samara in weeks…for all we know the old kraken finally died."

Jack confidently strolled past the entrance with an eager little Teagan hiding closely behind. The sight of the Justicar made a big enough impact on the little biotic that she let out an audible gasp. Samara was sitting and meditating just like every Justicar in the movies Teagan had seen. Pale baby-blue biotics oozed around her body like a thick layer of cooling water. In between her hands she held a grape-fruit sized biotic ball of energy and balanced it between her palms about five inches apart from each. As the pair slowly walked around, Teagan noticed the Justicar had her eyes open and was staring out into space through her observation window. They were glowing brightly and beautifully, and Teagan couldn't stop herself from staring at the breath-taking asari. She might have been old…but she was beautiful and impressive. "Welcome to the Normandy, little one. I am Samara. And greetings, Jack. What brings you two to me this afternoon?"

Jack plopped down lazily on the couch directly opposite the Justicar, "Eh. Was bored half way ta' hell and Shepard suggested I see what the midget was up to. Turns out she was standin' outside your door while Edi traumatized her with ideas of you smearin' the walls with her."

Edi spoke up, "Correction, Jack: I was explaining to—"

Jack threw a couch cushion at the roof of the room, "Hey, who the hell asked you to join girl's night out! Get the hell outta' here you overpriced toaster!"

Teagan nibbled the inside of her lower lip, "…d-don't be mean to Edi, Jack. She's really nice and—"

"Don't worry about it kid. She'll get over it. Just freaks me the _fuck_ out is all—always lookin', always watchin'…the next thing you know you're using the elevator when she's feelin' a little pissy and then you're stuck between levels while she sucks out all the air from the room."

Teagan would never leave deck two again.

Edi voiced herself in defense, "I would never do such a thing. You are my crew-mates."

Samara, who could no longer meditate with all the noise, let her biotics die out. "I will restate myself only once more," she said casually. "What may I do for you, Jack?"

Jack rolled her eyes and plopped her back onto the soft cushions beneath, "Like I said, the midget was outside your door and wanted to meet you. She's gets all gushy n' shit over Justicars."

Samara turned her head towards the child, "Come, little one. Sit by me."

Teagan took a few cautious steps.

Samara gave her a fraction of a smile, "There is no need to fear me, child. Come, sit."

The little biotic swallowed her fear and took a seat next to the powerful Justicar. Teagan observed the way she sat and held herself and soon mimicked the posture. Samara nodded to her approvingly. "Do you wish to meditate with me?"

"M-meditate?"

"This," Samara brought a finger up to London's heart and placed it gently over the organ, "…and this," She then moved the finger up and in-between Teagan's eyes, "Are not moving in harmony, young one. If you wish to make them still and clear, then you meditate. We learn to listen to the troubles within our hearts and ease them with the wisdom of our minds, with the knowledge of who we are and the guidance of what we choose to follow."

Teagan looked down at her lap to consider her head and heart, "…sometimes I get really bad dreams about London. And I worry about my sister all the time. She works so hard…even when she gets sick. I try to make her soup, but she only ever says she's not hungry and that I should eat it." The little girl's voice was steady, but her lower lip began to tremble, "…And I tell her that it's _okay_ if she wants to take a day off to sleep, that I would protect her…but I can't do nothin'. I just…_glow_. Like a night-bug," she sighed sadly, "All I can do… is glow."

Samara remembered a time long ago when her children too were small, vulnerable, and doubted themselves. And though bound by a code greater than she, it didn't mean the asari was without heart. She looked over to the small human and placed a warm and gentle hand onto her back, rubbing gently in small circles much as a mother would do to her child. "Young one, I see more than a simple 'night-bug'. You have a well of un-tapped potential locked deep within, and the only one capable of bringing that out to greet the light is you."

Teagan wiped her eyes and tried to stop the tremble in her lip, "…I don't know how."

Samara tucked a lose strand of hair behind the girl's ear and smiled, "You're scared aren't you? Of what you can do, of what has happened because of it?"

Teagan looked up at her with a shocked gaze, "H-how did you know?"

The asari chuckled, "Oh my dear, when you have been around as long as I, you become quite perceptive. Soon people become wide open books for the reading."

The child averted her eyes, "…I caused a lot of problems for London. And I've even hurt her before. She won't admit it but you can see it on her body. I've given her some pretty bad burns. Sometimes when I get scared I don't know how to make the glow stop. So…London will hug me to make it better. She makes it go away."

Samara fixed the little girls meditative pose, "Then let us learn to be still. Can you feel the tingle of the element zero in your system beneath your skin?"

"I always feel a little tingle."

"Good. You say you only ever glow when you get scared, that is because the electric stimuli you feed the nodules is greater than average at that time. However, for _this_ you will force the stimuli to react while you are calm, thus making an aura of biotic energy that does not burn because _you_ are in control."

"…how do I do that?"

Samara tried to speak in terms that the child could understand, "Close your eyes and think of nothing. Let the little tingle spread all over your still body. Naturally, you are going to want to pull the tingle back so that it will not overwhelm your senses. But when you feel it begin to reach that point, instead of pulling back I want you to push out. Do not worry yourself about hurting me, I will not be harmed."

Teagan held her eyes tightly shut, remaining still and thinking of only blackness. The room was quiet and cool against her warm cheeks. Jack had been watching curiously as the Asari guided the little biotic to a place where her mind was no longer screaming.

"_Make the noggin' shut up, eh?" _Jack raised a brow as she watched the two and contemplated what they were doing. _"…why the fuck not. Let's give this bullshit a whirl." _While Samara focused on the child, Jack too sat in a meditative position, having made sure Samara wasn't looking at her. Jack popped her neck, cracked her knuckles, and shook her hands out before finally sitting quietly on the couch and closing her eyes. It was simple for Jack, she'd done this shit for years so the glow was easy…but making her mind quiet? Not so much.

Moments passed before Teagan began to exude the same blue-black aura as Jack. Her eyes popped open, amazed at herself. "I'm doing it! And I'm not scared!"

Samara smiled, pleased that the little girl easily grasped the concept. "You're naturally gifted at biotics. Now focus, little one. Will your aura stop flickering and instead just let it wash over your body like gentle water. Rid yourself of all excitement and just be still."

Teagan closed her eyes again, brow furrowing slightly as she felt her biotics splash and flick off of her skin wildly. After what felt like an hour, she finally began to feel as if she could control the tingle beneath. If she pushed, it would grow, and if she pulled it would retreat within her. When she tested the feelings and limitations of her new found capabilities, she quickly found a happy balance that let the aura glide gently over her body much like Samara had described. Teagan didn't have to open her eyes to know she was doing it so instead of speaking; she simply sat by the now meditating Samara and exhaled happily, continuing to enjoy the company and acceptance of the other two biotics.

Jack was not having such a great time though. She already had the biotics down, but she couldn't get her head to shut the hell up. Thoughts of Pragia, of drugs, of rape, of pain, and of sadness filled her mind. A soft growl left her lips as her forehead began to dampen and her fists began to clench. "_...this shit doesn't fuckin' work." _Jack let out a loud exhale and told herself she'd give it just _one_ more attempt. So, she tried another tactic and began to think of other things, things she'd enjoyed. Girly things like: guns, punching people in the face, grenades, bombs, blowing bombs up, knives, and…Shepard.

The ex-convict found herself biting her lower lip as her biotic aura began to calm itself around her body. _"I wonder if he'll stick around. Kinda' looks like it with the way he looks at me sometimes. Those looks that make me feel…" _Jack bit her lip a little harder, "_Wait. If you feel like that, then why the fuck can't you just screw him and get it out of the way? His balls must be fuckin' blueberries by now the poor bastard. So why not just give it up? It's just another lay. Seriously—what? Are you afraid?" _Jack let an annoyed sigh out at herself, _"…Nah. Nah you ain't afraid. You're just—waiting. Yeah that's it. You're waiting for the right time." _ She scowled_, "Waitwaitwait, the fuckin' right time? What the fuck are you a virgin?"_

Jack just gave up all together and dropped the whole meditation crap. She put her elbows down on her knees and rubbed her face roughly. _"…I just get so nervous around him. Then I get pissed at being nervous. Then I get pissed for taking the consideration to be pissed at being nervous for him! FUCK." _She let out a loud grunt and got up on her feet to walk out, "This is balls. I'm out."

**xxxxxxx**

**Miranda's Office**

**Mid Evening**

"Commander it adds up. I can't point out any more of the obvious to make it any more concrete." Lawson was pacing around the font of her bed as Shepard sat at her desk at looked at her.

"Okay. Okay let's just run it through one more time," he said calmly.

Miranda gave a gentle exhale then sat at the foot of her bed. "Alright. Teagan was born with biotic capabilities. This is very rare and known only to happen on colonies that are, or have been, exposed to a dust-form of element zero. The human colony Yandoa is known for having the most notable industrial accident. Under 'suspicious circumstances' an Ashland Energy vessel exploded into the planet's atmosphere and permanently exposed the colony to eezo dust. Now, humans are not naturally biotic as you know so the exposure came with several complications: Children being born with tumors or birth defects—_but_, it's also a colony that has produced the highest number of biotically gifted babies from birth."

She inhaled, "Now. Let's just _assume_ for the moment that Teagan is from Yandoa. The Ascension Program was created to help train human biotics and focused on the colonies of these 'accidents'. The program was set up around 2176. Teagan was born in 2178 and, around the same time that she was stolen, Cerberus operatives **plus** hired BlueSunMercenaries infiltrated the Ascension Program in an attempt to gain information and research into human biotics in order to 'save humanity'."

Shepard scratched his chin and nodded, "… and then we have the L4 implant."

Miranda nodded in return, "Exactly. Teagan's L4 is a new implant that was used on the children in the Ascension Project; these implants use biotic amplifiers to allow for monitoring and improved performance. L4 implants give about a 10-15% increase in biotic ability in 90% of subjects. This is a similar implant to the ones placed on the children at the Teltin facility on Pragia, whom we also know was run by rogue cell Cerberus agents."

Shepard was a little surprised to hear her admit it, but said nothing. "So basically everything that we can possibly add up leads back to…Cerberus." Somehow, it wasn't so shocking.

"Correct, which means our 'Buyer' has to be involved with them somehow. I don't know if there's another cell operation going on out there or if it's something being worked on with a smaller task force—five or six highly trained people perhaps. But without any kind of lead, we're dead in the water. I couldn't even imagine where to start to look."

The commander sat quietly in his chair for a moment, lightly turning himself side to side as he thought, "…I have an idea about where to start."

**xxxxxxx**

London stepped quietly into the room she was slowly beginning to hate, "Mr. Shepard, you requested to see me?"

Shepard got up from his seat and offered it to the new arrival that accepted it then looked at the pair of Normandy officers. John cleared his throat, "London, we may or may not have a lead in regards to your little sister."

"What do you have?"

"Well," began Lawson, "really we're only going on a hunch based on what kind of implant Teagan has and the year she was born. The L4 is only particular to the children of a biotic training program known as 'The Ascension Project', a project that was later infiltrated by the Blue Suns and Cerberus Operatives."

London ran over the logo on Miranda's outfit and clenched her jaw. Lawson quickly caught her gaze and spoke up in her defense, "Before you start thinking the worse about me, please know that I am no longer involved with the organization—Shepard can we please just stop somewhere so I can change my bloody attire?"

John couldn't help but chuckle, "Yes, we can. And London please don't consider Miranda the enemy. She's more than proven herself as of late that she's on our side. Hell, she even flipped the Illusive Man the bird and gave him her verbal resignation last time we saw him."

London raised a brow, "Illusive man?"

"He's the big man that leads Cerberus's whole operation."

The statement seemed to make London ease up a bit towards Lawson, who in return gave a relieved sigh. "So," the sniper began to ask, "you all have a small lead, but what can I do to help?"

Shepard leaned forward a bit, "Well I'll tell you, but first let me just apologize for my behavior earlier."

London began to shake her hand in front of herself in protest, but John stopped her, "—just let me do this...please."

He took a small breath, "It's been a long time since any of us had a chance to catch our breath. I worry _all the time _about my crew. I know that if I make a wrong choice as their commander, that there's a very high probability that someone will get hurt or worse. When I chose to take you from Almos I went on blind faith that you'd be someone that the crew could rest easy with and not have to worry about. It was reckless and naïve to do as a commander. I admit that. But for the first day and night everything went so well, and my mind began to calm down. Then, the next morning I found out that there was a possibility that you lied about who and what you were and my first instinct was to protect my crew and my ship. For a good long moment I thought that I had let an extremely talented and very dangerous woman aboard my vessel, and I _had_ to find out where you stood. Please understand that I might be a man that has done some note worthy things in his life, but at the end of the day I am only that: a man. So I apologize for being so angry, and I apologize for treating you as I did. I had no excuse. "

London gave him a soft expression and extended her hand in which Shepard took and shook gently. "Apologies accepted, Commander."

"Thank you." Shepard cleared his throat, "Well then let's get back to the business at hand. London, based on the information we have something kind of dawned on me."

The sniper nodded, "And what is that, Sir?"

"It is believed to be that Teagan was born and abducted around the same time that hired Blue Sun Mercenaries infiltrated the Ascension Program, right? Well, if our puzzle pieces are assembled correctly and, based on Teagan's L4 implant, I think it's safe to say that she _was_ part of Ascension. And if she was there, then your father had to be one of the mercenaries hired to take her from the program and turn her over to Cerberus scientists.

London's eyes grew wide as it all began to click, "Yes...yes that makes sense. What are you proposing?"

Shepard walked around the room as he thought, "Okay. I remember having a talk with Zaeed a few times down in his lodgings. You don't know him, but the short version of his story is he's a mercenary also. We talked about the Suns, about what being a merc was like and I remember him saying that all mercenaries had records of past work, a kind of insurance plan. If someone came to take the merc out, these secrets would be exposed by a trusted companion. Zaeed said it didn't always work, he said that sometimes the people gunning for the merc could find out where the info was or just decided the merc's death was more important and leave it at that. But he also said that _every_ Mercenary had one. He said something about 'never carried but always kept.' Does that ring any bells to you?"

London eyes went wild with thought as she took herself back through the years worth of conversations she had with her father—or at least the ones she could remember.

_A young Londo__n runs up to her sitting father peaking over his shoulder to see what he was doing with the small portable terminal that she was forbidden to play with, "Daddy whatcha' doin'?"_

"_Nothing, my little lion. I'm just adding lots of information from daddy's recent trip. These clients do whatever they can to ensure we don't keep records, but I know better. I keep a separate set and copy hidden away here. So every time I come home, I have to make sure to keep it updated and organized."_

_London wrinkled her nose, "That sound's awful boring…"_

_Her father let out a gentle chuckle, "Oh believe me my darling… it is."_

"_So why dont'cha just take it with you in secret and do it while you fly back home?"_

"_Because it would be very dangerous if anyone ever found out about daddy's secret terminal," _London's voice began to repeat the words she heard when she was younger, _"_That's why I never carry it, but always keep it—to keep daddy safe."Her eyes shot up to meet John's light blue orbs, "…my father had records."

John nodded, "I was hoping you'd say that."

London furrowed her brow in both sadness and shock, "…but that means."

Shepard put a hand on her shoulder, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask your permission to revisit your household in an attempt to find your father's old records. If I had any other choice I'd avoid this option, but…I don't."

London inhaled, her breath going in and out shakily. "I understand. But I can't…Teagan won't be able—"

Shepard silenced her fear, "We won't do it while we have Teagan."

The sniper looked up to him quickly, quite confused by his comment, "…while we have Teagan? What do you mean?"

Shepard rubbed his eyes and sighed. This wasn't the way he was planning on telling her. "The only reason we were on Almos was because I got the order from an Alliance admiral named Anderson to rescue a biotic child that was thought to be stolen and sold to an unknown source. I was ordered to rescue and then transport the child back to the Citadel where Anderson himself would implement her into a school for biotically gifted and mentally bright children. This is what I had wanted to talk to you about before…all of _this_ happened."

London blinked at him with a hint of anger and frustration in her voice, "We're on course to take my little sister to a school for biotics and you failed to tell me this the moment I stepped onto your shuttle?"

Shepard nodded, "Well we're going to Omega first to gather your belongings like you had wanted but…yes."

London shook her head, "This should have been the _first_ thing out of your mouth. Don't you think I have the right to know where my sister is going? Don't you think _she_ has the right to choose if she'd like to even attend the school? You can't just…take her there without her permission."

"I know. And I should have said something earlier—way earlier. It wasn't right of me to put it off till now, but I _was_ going to speak with you about it. We're speaking about it now and I would like to know your stance on the matter."

London looked down into her lap, "The truth is I don't know anything about this school. I don't know the teachers or the facility and that does not sit to well with me."

Shepard exhaled but nodded his head in understanding, "Will you speak to her about it?"

London nodded her head, "I will. But if we decide not to attend this school I request that you leave us at a location of my choosing after all of this is said and done. Agreed?"

John wasn't in a place to say no. She was right, it wasn't his call. "Agreed."

Miranda spoke up, "London, with all due respect I think a school would be best for her. It's an excellent school with a highly trained staff that works exceptionally well with children Teagan's age. They offer all kinds of classes and hold all sorts of activities that she might be interested in. She's already seven years old and still highly untrained: something that could be dangerous to both herself and others around her if a situation was to ever come up that she didn't know or understand how to handle. Her eezo nodules are ultra receptive to her brain and without proper guidance that could lead to severe injuries."

London knew Miranda was right and she had the scars on her body to prove it. Teagan needed wisdom and guidance that neither she nor anyone else aboard the ship could give to her on a daily basis. Her sister needed stability and instruction on using her biotics, something that no matter how hard she tried, she would never fully understand.

She leaned forward, arms on her knees and nodded her head, "Okay…I'll talk with Tee."

**x****xxxxxx**

**Portside Observation**

**9:30PM**

The little biotic was hard at work prepping a large canvas for a portrait she planned to paint tomorrow. When London walked in she greeted her big sister with a large smile and excited, "Ta-da!"

London looked over at her and grinned, "Where'd you get that?"

"Kasumi gave it to me! She said that she and Jacob didn't know how to paint and that I could have it!"

"Did you tell them thank you?"

"Of course, silly!"

London sat down on their couch and stared at her little sister working away to get her painting surface ready for tomorrow. "Hey, Tee? Can I talk to you for a second about something really important?"

Teagan put down her work and skipped over to her big sister, plopping down next to her and grinning widely, "Sure! What's goin' on?"

London caressed her little cheek then ruffled her hair, "…how would you feel about going to a real school? A school with kids your age and some who had biotic talent just like you?"

Teagan's eyes grew sad, "What's wrong with you teaching me stuff at home?"

"Nothing's wrong with that pun'kin, it's just… I can't teach you how to use your biotics. It's very dangerous for you if we leave it unattended to. It's something you _need_ to learn about."

The little girl's sad eyes fell to the floor, "But…"

London urged her on in a playful sing-song voice, "You could make lots of frieeeends, and eat three times a daaaay, and I'm sure they have all kinds of wonderful toooooys, and books, and music! I know that if it were me, I wouldn't miss a chance like that!"

Teagan's eyes seemed to brighten, "…you think they'd have a painting class?"

London nodded, "Probably! I heard it was a preeeeetty big school with lots of different classes and lessons to be learned. I'm sure there would be _something_ exciting to do every day. Not to mention you'd get to learn about your biotics, which is most important."

Teagan looked out into space in wonder as she thought of all the possibilities, "Ya know! I visited Miss Samara today and she helped me meditate to learn to calm down when I get scared! I don't get all night-buggy anymore!"

London chuckled, "That's wonderful, Teagan. I'm very proud of you. So… does this mean that you'll go?"

The little girl thought intensely, "…well I did like learning. It was a lot of fun but…I don't wanna' leave you."

London shook her head, "I'll be fine, Teagan. What I really want is for you to grow up and be smart and strong. I want you to be better than me and to excel at everything you do. So if you do this you would make your big sister the happiest person in the galaxy."

Teagan wiggled her way into London's warm and comforting embrace as she spoke with a soft and considerate voice, "…so if I go you'll be okay? You promise?"

London held the little girl tightly in her arms and placed her cheek on top of Teagan's head, "I promise."

Teagan's voice was tiny and still unsure when London heard the response, "…kay'…I-I'll go."

[End 13: To do what is best]

* * *

_A/N: __This chapter gave me a headache so I'm happy it is done. _

_T__o my readers: Feedback would be very much appreciated so feel free to review to your little heart's contentment and tell me what you think… or… if you have nothing to say but are following the story anyways, just give a good 'Assuming Direct Control!"_

—_n-no seriously. Do it.__ It'll make for a good giggle. :D_


	14. Getting to Know You

_Disclaimer: The Mass Effect Universe and everything in it belongs to BioWare. I only lay claim to London and Teagan. They be mine, arrrrgh. Suddenly I'm a pirate?_

_

* * *

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[Chapter 14: Getting to Know You]

**Day 3 of flight to Omega**

**Commander's Cabin**

**4:45AM**

"_Hold her down boys! This one looks like a real rough ride!" The band of mercenaries all gave each other high-fives, appreciating their captain's sick sense of humor. "Did you make sure to inject with her a big dose of that bio-inhibitor?" he asked casually._

"_Yes sir, I gave her the inhibitors and a sedative shot big enough to take down a small Krogan. She ain't doing shit tonight—cept' maybe blink."_

_The captain gave a sickening smile, "Good, but bind her hands and feet anyways—just don't over handle her. I don't want to seriously damage the thing; she still has to fetch a decent price on the market next week."_

"_Yessir! Where do you want her?"_

"_Fuck if I care, I don't want her comfortable. I just want her useful," he laughed out harshly. "Stick her on the ground or the top of a table, just get her ready."_

_The two mercs dragged Jack onto the captain's writing table laying the limp body face up onto the cold surface. They bound Jack's hands together over her head, while separating her legs and binding each ankle individually to a leg of the desk. One of the mercs began to roughly undress, using his knife to cut the helpless woman's clothing from her when simple, vicious tearing failed to remove the material. The others simply watched in amusement._

"_Hey man, toss me those panties!"_

_The one undressing the biotic complied; tossing Jack's cut and torn cotton underwear to him, watching as he inhaled deeply. He grinned wickedly, "She might be a psycho bitch biotic, but her pussy smells nice just the same. When the captain is done, it's my turn next. You can get the sloppy thirds."_

_Their Captain was back only minutes later, "No one's getting anything until I've had my fill…and it might be a while till I'm full." He ran his tongue over his lower lip, "Is she ready?"_

"_Yes sir!"_

"_MmMmMmm…yes she is. She's spread out all nice and waiting…good job. Now wait outside boys, Papa has some business to attend to."_

_The two mercs snickered as they walked out of the room, adding vulgar encouragements on their way out._

_Jack could see the merc captain unbuckle and drop his pants, exposing his limp member which he began to rub as he leered at Jack's exposed body, quickly becoming erect under his own touch. Having prepared himself, the captain stepped towards his captive eager to feel her flesh replace his hand. Watching him approach the biotic tried to move; she tried opening her mouth to warn him that if he didn't back the fuck off— she'd kill him. But nothing came out and her body refused to move. She could only lie there …and blink. _

_The captain walked around her like a vulture ready to eat its meal, eyeing the young woman with a sickening fascination. "…this…is going to be good."_

Jack's eyes were beginning to moisten and go crazed behind their closed lids. Her hands clenched together as she tightly squeezed both her thighs against each other.

_She felt her entrance being violated._

_Thrust_

"…s-stop…" A single tear rolled down her cheek, voice tiny and inaudible.

_Thrust_

"…sto—…"

_Thrust_

Her eyes snapped open as she sat up and went for the pistol that was always attached to her calve; fear becoming overwhelming as her scrabbling fingers couldn't find the weapon. Where did the mercenaries go? Panic etched across her face as she tried to remember where she was, why the room was so dark, and why she wasn't wearing her gear and instead only wearing a large shirt and boy-short panties.

It was then that she heard the snore of a familiar and very loud John Shepard. The biotic brought her knees up to wrap her arms around and rested her forehead against them. Jack couldn't help but sigh in relief upon hearing the annoying but still comforting noise of someone she knew and was learning to trust very deeply.

"…_dream. It was just a dream."_

A loud snored echoed once again throughout the cold cabin causing Jack to eye the large lump in the middle of the bed. He was sprawled out on the bed looking much like a giant letter 'X', leaving her only the side of the mattress to sleep on. _"He must have been really tired if he couldn't feel himself pushing me over in the night..." _Usually with Jack, Shepard was all too gracious with his bed space. He had always made sure to stay on his side and give her all the room she needed to be comfortable. As of late though, the biotic found that she liked to entangle herself in her Commander as they slept; but tonight he was moving around so damn much that Jack only found rest in separating herself from him and found the edge of her side of the bed to be the best option to actually getting to sleep.

It was odd however. The one night she couldn't feel his warmth was the night her nightmares found their way back into her mind.

The biotic exhaled as she stretched her legs back out along the bed and rubbed her eyes of any remainders of sleep. She glanced over at the clock, _"…4:50AM? You're kiddi—" _John interrupted her thought as he grumbled, his eyes fluttering around momentarily behind their lids, a large smile coming to his mouth as he whispered '_Jack'_ out into the stillness of his cabin.

The ex-convict found her interest peaked. Ever so carefully she nudged her way closer to Shepard until she was eventually leaning over his face to examine the way it looked. He seemed absurdly happy about something, and that stupid grin that infuriated her 85% of the time was plastered on him. Jack leaned into his ear, her mouth only an inch away as she whispered, "…yes?" in response.

The commander chuckled, his eyes flickering again as he dreamed. "…we have…to wait, Jack…"

Jack couldn't help but to raise an eyebrow. She whispered back into his ear, "…what do we have ta' wait for?"

John's face changed into one of concern, "…I want it to be right. Per…Perfect."

Jack clenched her jaw and backed away into a normal sitting position near his warm body. Upon her movement Shepard rolled onto his side and engulfed her waist with his arms burying his face into her lap. The biotic's eyes grew wide as she looked down onto his head. Her first instinct was to yell, to tell him to get the hell off of her and explain to him the obvious fact that she wasn't his pillow. But…something in the pit of her stomach turned as she began to examine his peaceful features. He looked so content being there entangled around her midsection. Jack was a woman who had spent her entire life either being used or feared—there was never a third option, so the sight of this man who not only did NOT fear her, but genuinely _wanted_ to be with her made the damnedest thing occur:

The biotic cautiously lifted a hand letting it hover over John's head. She was hesitant in her actions, leaving her hand suspended there for what seemed to be minutes before finally and shakily descending it upon his scalp, running slender fingers through the softest hair she had ever felt. Shepard inhaled deeply and adjusted himself slightly as he tightened his grip around her and snuggled into the smoothness of her lap. The corner of Jack's mouth found itself lifting as she continued her uncharacteristically tender ministrations upon the commander.

The minutes and eventually hour passed by quickly as Jack let John sleep upon her, her mind going in circles around the only question she'd been asking herself since yesterdays 'meditation', _"If he makes you feel like this—then why not just…"_

The biotic bit her lip. She couldn't even bring herself to think of the word she'd been using all this time because that's all she'd _ever_ been to her partners—a screw, a lay, a fuck. But she didn't want that with Shepard and she realized Shepard didn't want that from her either. Maybe that's why she couldn't bring herself to act on it. Never in the biotic's life had she cared enough to want to make sex something more than just two people relieving stress or gaining selfish pleasure and using each other as the tool to do so.

_BEEPBEEP. BEEPBEEP. BEEPBEEP._ Jack's eyes suddenly went into slits as she threw biotic energy towards the offending alarm clock causing it to slam against the far wall with a loud crack. Shepard shot up into a sitting position and yelled, "HOLD FIRE!" before he realized where he was and what had happened.

The commander roughly rubbed his lids before shaking his head lightly then looking at Jack. He grinned, voice still thick from sleep. "Sorry about setting the alarm for six. I had to wake up earlier than usual today because I'm meeting Miranda down at her office to discuss some upcoming plans."

Shepard reached his arms up and stretched, letting a thunderous groan out as he did so. Jack just stared at him and rolled her eyes, "It's whatever. I was already awake anyways."

John yawned then looked over to her, "Really? Why so early—and why beat up the poor clock then?"

Jack shrugged, "…felt like it."

He chuckled lightly as he swung his legs off the bed and made his way into the bathroom to get ready for the day, "Fair enough—but now you owe me a new clock."

The biotic gazed at the now empty room. She had preferred to be here rather than the cargo hold as of late; the cabin had a favorable temperature and relaxing feel that made her violent tendencies subside. Usually when she was alone she'd take some personal time to clean her weapons or take ridiculously long and hot showers that relaxed her always tense muscles. But today was starting to be very different. Jack just could NOT stop thinking. The same words repeated over and over in her mind driving her to the point of complete and utter frustration. _"If he makes you feel that way then why not just…"_

The ex-convict growled loudly as she sprawled herself out on Shepard's bed, flopping around like an angry fish throwing a temper tantrum. When she had finally run out of breath, she lay there motionless on her back, chest heaving up and down heavily. "You need to fix your problem and fast," she started saying to herself. Just the very sound of her saying it and the thought of being intimate with Shepard made Jack's heart speed up rapidly. She covered her face and let out a muffled and very frustrated scream, "Whhhy are you getting so damn nervous—"

"Nervous about what, Jack?" Shepard had quietly walked back into his quarters after his bath; curious as to whom she was talking to. When he found no one else in the room, his eyebrow went up in confusion.

"—God damn it Shepard!"

John raised his hands in front of him, "Whoa... What'd I do?"

Jack flung her legs over the edge of the bed, sitting up and covering her face with both hands. "No," she sighed, "…nothing, I just didn't hear you finish in the bathroom. Freaked me out I guess."

Shepard grinned as he made his way over to sit by her, placing a hand on her back and rubbing gently as he tried to take away the biotic's stress. "I was in there for fifteen minutes, Jack."

"_Fifteen minutes already?" _Jack looked at him for a small moment, _"…aaaand there he is trying to make me feel better…again…"_

She sighed, giving off an agitated tone when she opened her mouth, "Shepard you don't gotta—"

"—don't have to what? Care? Too late, I'm sorry. Not taking it back," he said flatly.

Jack gave Shepard her signature 'I'm going to kill you' stare.

Shepard chuckled, "Don't give me that look. We've been over this about a hundred times. I'm not changing how I am or what I feel. So, with that said—what are you nervous about?"

The biotic narrowed her eyes and growled, "Nu-uh. I gave you ground rules to follow and you don't get another question to ask me—"

"—till tomorrow," he sighed heavily, "I remember. But the guide-lines specifically said I couldn't ask _personal_ questions so—"

"—it's personal." Jack looked him dead in the eye.

John squint his eyes back at her, "You do realize this will be forced to be the question I ask then, right?"

Jack lifted her upper lip only slightly to show off a canine, "You are _really_ pushing it, you know that?"

Shepard let out a chuckle and raised his hands in innocence, "Hey, you laid down the grown rules, not me. This was our deal. I wait two days and then get to ask whatever it is I want."

She couldn't argue against him since she had set herself up for this. In defeat, the biotic turned onto the bed and dragged herself up towards Shepard's two pillows, slamming the back of her head into one and covering her face with the other.

John turned around to face her and gave an amused grin, "Trying to suffocate ourselves now are we?"

"Yeff."

He blinked, his grin widening. "Excuse me, what was that?"

"Ium frying tuh suffocate myseff."

Shepard scooted himself up on the bed to be closer to her, "Awww come on, Jack. The question can't be _that_ bad to answer can it?"

"Yeff it iss."

It was a natural reaction to try and comfort the woman he felt so strongly for; Shepard reached out his hand and placed it on the only place that was openly available to touch—her stomach, right next to her belly button to be precise. The touch was butterfly light causing an unexpected Jack to suddenly jolt and let out a loud laugh.

She threw the pillow that covered her face, planted a hand over her own mouth, and gave Shepard incredibly wide eyes. "Sh-Shepard what the hell! What did you do to me!"

John retrieved his hand immediately, the most gigantic smile she'd ever seen plastered on his face.

Jack grabbed the second pillow and whacked Shepard all over his body with it, causing him to bellow out in laughter as he defended himself from an onslaught of pillow attacks. "J-Jack," he tried to speak through his mirth and her pillow-fire, "You _laughed_! I-I think you're ticklish near your bellybutton!"

Her assaults ceased immediately, huffing and puffing in disbelief, "_Bullshit_! I've never been ticklish!"

John grinned stupidly, "…maybe you just haven't met anyone that's found the spot—or touched it right."

She could feel the pit of her stomach do a flip.

_That fucker._

Jack smashed the plush pillow against Shepard's face, causing him to flail near the edge of the bed before actually falling over onto his back with a hard thud.

Shepard let out a cry of pain, holding onto his side as he tried to remain perfectly still.

Jack gasped, her eyes wide in terror as she peaked over the bed. "Shepard? Oh shit, Shepard!" She jumped off and over the side, kneeling beside him and leaning in. Her hands gently cupped his face as she spoke slowly to him, "Is it your ribs? Fuck, I forgot! I'm going to go get Chakwas. Just stay—"

John grinned, suddenly acting like nothing was wrong at all. He placed a hand over one of hers that was caressing his cheek and pressed into the warmth of her palm. Jack shook her head in confusion, "…but I thought…"

Shepard pulled on the hand quickly causing the biotic to tip over and onto his chest. She looked up at him with hurt in her eyes as John caressed the length of her arm with the rough pads of his finger tips, "I'm sorry," he began softly. "I just couldn't resist..."

Jack shook her head and moved herself into a sitting position beside him. Her tone was surprisingly gentle as she spoke, a hint of hurt in both her feelings and pride. "You're a real jackass you know that?"

John looked at her apologetically, "Because I found out you were ticklish?"

"No, well—**yes**— but _no_. It's because…I thought…."

Shepard smiled, sitting up as well and stretching the length of his legs out beside hers. "Jack, I think it would take more than a hit to the face with a pillow and a tumble off the bed to put me down. I was joking…I didn't mean to make you worry."

She rolled her eyes. It was obvious that she was worried, but hell would freeze over before she ever admitted it. "Worried? Who says I was worried?"

Shepard nudged her gently in the ribs with his elbow, "So you running to my side and whispering that you'd get help right away was not worrying?"

Jack clenched her jaw, "Nope."

"Then what was it?"

"I don't have to answer any questions till tomorrow."

Shepard laughed, "Oh come on!"

"It's in the rules—and I'm not ticklish."

"Yeah well," John reached out and wiggled his fingers against Jack's ticklish spot, sending her into another jolt followed by her backing up quickly and glaring with a pointed finger. "Don't you start that _shit_ again! I swear to God that I'll use my biotics to throw you so fast and far from here you'll end up in Omega two days in advance."

It was now Shepard's turn to roll his eyes as he got up off the floor and extended his hand to help her up as well. She flat out refused the gesture and stood up on her own, smoothing out the wrinkles on her boy-shorts as she did so.

John exhaled, "Well alright then, I guess I'll be going down to meet Miranda now. See you later?"

Jack shrugged, "Maybe. In another hour I'm going down to meet the midget for her 'meditation' session with the mollusk."

Shepard blinked, "…mollusk?"

"Samara."

John pursed his mouth to keep from laughing. "Right. Well then, I hope to see you… later tonight?"

"I guess. Sure."

Shepard smiled widely as he moved in to close the gap between them, "Morning kiss?"

The biotic gave a small grunt before nodding her head back in a 'get over here' fashion to which the commander complied. He stopped inches away from Jack, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small container of breath freshener strips and sliding in his finger to retrieve one of the rectangular transparent strips. He popped it into his mouth, smiling as it dissolved quickly.

The ex-convict rolled her eyes but couldn't hold down the small grin that snuck out to greet the Commander, "Oh will you just fucking get over here!" she playfully hissed.

Shepard chuckled before slowly leaning in to meet her lips for the briefest of kisses. It was enough to keep his mood ebullient for the entire day.

"…see you later," he said through a radiant smile.

Jack simply nodded towards him, watching as he turned to walk out of the room and into the elevator_._

**xxxxxxx**

**Cockpit**

**7:00AM**

"Good morning, Mr. Joker!" Teagan seemed to have popped out of nowhere behind Moreau's chair, and at an hour this early no one is fully awake. Jeff shouted rather _too_ high-pitched for a man, then swiveled his seat around to greet a worried little biotic. "Oh…hey Tee! Sorry for the man squeal there—I uh wasn't expecting to see you. Don't you kids usually like to sleep late now-a-days? Isn't this a little early?"

Teagan settled, glad to see she didn't scare him too bad. She hadn't meant to do it in the first place. She gently presented the pilot with a small plate that contained a rather large raspberry and chocolate swirled muffin. "I woke up early ta' help Mr. Gardner with making breakfast! I made everyone something special!"

Joker eyed the pastry with a watering mouth.

"Okay, Tee not only does it look delicious, but I imagine that if heaven had a smell…it would smell like this muffin you made right here…C-can I just…have a taste—a snippet?"

The little biotic giggled happily, extending the plate and offering it to an eagerly accepting Joker. "Please do! I made it for you!"

Upon taking the muffin he instantly took a large bite which in turn caused a happy groan to escape his lips and his eyes to slightly roll back into his head. "Oh-hoho—this muffin?" he pointed with an enthusiastic finger, "This muffin right here is _incredible_. When you get way older you're going to make some man very, _very_ happy."

The child wrinkled her nose, "…Ewie…"

Joker was so immersed in his muffin that he didn't hear the child's response. "EDI you gotta' try this thing it's—oooooh…riiiiight." He swallowed quickly and eyeballed the holo. "Sorry 'bout that. I mean…I could try to shove it in somewhere. Is there like a… port or…would that even—you know what nevermind. No muffin for you."

Teagan turned and smiled happily at EDI's display, "Good morning, EDI!"

"Good morning, Miss Teagan."

The child leaned in to inspect the AI's holo closer, "I wanted to make you a muffin too but Mr. Gardner said that you didn't eat so I made you this instead!" Teagan searched through the little backpack she had brought along that morning until she pulled out a carefully rolled up thick piece of paper.

Joker put the complete other half of his muffin into his mouth and leaned in, curious as to what she brought as he chewed, "Wus'that?"

Teagan's little fingers worked away until she completely unrolled the scroll-like object to reveal an incredibly well drawn portrait of the Normandy ship. "I drew EDI! I figured it wasn't nice making everyone else something to eat but not having something for her so…I did this!" Suddenly she was very nervous, "Do…d-do you like it?"

EDI had no idea how to respond. "Miss Teagan drew this for me? A gift? It is a very accurate depiction of this vessel. I am impressed."

Joker leaned back into his seat with a shocked expression, "That's…that's ridiculously good, Tee. I had no idea you were such a good artist…"

Teagan beamed, "You like it?"

EDI emitted an electronic chime, unable to show any other kind of emotion in her voice, but making her holo's new depiction cover its mouth with an awed expression to show a sign of happiness towards the child. "I do, Miss Teagan. I like it very much. Would you be so kind as to place it on the wall next to my pedestal?"

The little biotic complied quickly, pulling out some crafting tape from her pack and sticking the image onto the wall as instructed. "I'm glad you like it. I was worried you wouldn't."

Joker grinned as he patted his lap at the child, "Hey, wanna fly the ship for a few minutes?"

Teagan's eyes widened, "…Really? I…I can fly the ship for a little bit?"

Jeff chuckled, "If you wanna, sure. EDI will help you out also so you don't have to worry about doing anything wrong."

The little girl double checked with the AI. "…May I?"

"I will be at your side, Miss Teagan. There will be no problem with both of us at the helm."

Joker waved her over, "See? Straight from the ship herself, there will be no problems."

Teagan happily made her way over to Jeff who carefully helped her into his lap. With a few keystrokes he brought up the interactive map. "You see this slider here? Put your finger on it and bring it up to full."

Her small finger was shaky, but she did as was instructed. She could feel a small jolt as the ship began to move at directed speed. Next Joker slid her hand into position on the main screen to man the helm. "Just keep her steady, Tee, and there we have it. All systems are green and everything is in order. Way to go, little pilot! Lowering his voice in mock confidentiality Joker added, "Just don't let Shepard see you doing this well or I'll be out of a job."

The fascinated little biotic shook her head furiously at the mere thought of replacing such a wonderful man and piloted the ship with heavy concentration. Joker turned his head to give EDI's holo a wink. Piloting was a _bit more difficult_ than that, but Teagan didn't need to know. EDI nodded her holos head in his direction, seeming to understand what Moreau was telling her.

**xxxxxxx**

**Starboard Observation**

**7:35 AM**

The session had long begun by the time Jack arrived at Samara's quarters. The pair was sitting quietly in the middle of the room just like last time, only _this_ time it seemed Teagan had gotten the hang of creating a ball of biotic energy just like Samara's.

Samara had known that Jack attempted to meditate with them last time, and she knew Jack would most likely be back for each session. The ex-convict had shown interest in clearing her mind and attempting to make herself better, but _still_ refused to sit with them and acknowledge that she was openly trying to fix herself.

Jack made her way to sit in her usual position on the couch away from the others and began to meditate. This morning her mind was going crazy, but she was learning to calm herself down by being with Samara and Teagan. She liked to think that if she could calm her nerves and quiet her mind maybe, just _maybe_ one day she'd be able to be intimate with Shepard the way she wanted. The only problem was that sometimes with all the silence and seriousness it got a little…boring.

Several minutes passed in stillness before Samara opened her eyes from meditation upon hearing a large mass field crackle. The asari turned her gaze to observe Jack holding a **huge** ball of biotic energy in her right hand while pointing to it with a finger on her left.

Samara raised her baby blue eyes from the biotic ball to Jack's hazel orbs. The ex-convict looked self-satisfied and proud.

"Heh, mines bigger," the tattooed woman stated smugly.

Samara simply sighed and closed her eyes, ignoring the proud biotic.

Teagan giggled but continue meditating with Samara, afraid to lose her concentration if she gave it more thought.

"Oh what'd I do!" Jack spat at them, irritated with their lack of awe.

There was no response.

Jack grumbled softly to herself and made the ball equal sized to the other two, "...fiiiiine. Fuckin' squares the both of you!"

**xxxxxxx**

**Engineering**

**8pm**

The day had gone by slowly and surprisingly calmly for the sniper; her little sister had been running around all morning and afternoon chatting and learning about the Normandy crew. London figured she hadn't really been putting in the effort to do the same and so figured she'd go and meet some of the people she hadn't had the chance to speak with. She knew Shepard, Miranda, Chakwas, and had met Samara through Teagan. Garrus, Grunt, Joker, and Kenneth had been met through their rather awkward introduction to the Normandy just a few days ago—and they weren't exactly on her good list. However, Teagan had mentioned that there were interesting people down in Engineering and that she should go say hello.

And so here was London entering the Engineering doors to try her hand at being semi-social and not so unapproachable.

There was a set of three people sitting around a small table playing cards with what seemed to be a rather large lamp hovering over them. She scanned the faces and internally groaned upon seeing Kenneth. London had the sudden need to just turn around and walk the other way, but the suddenly excited Scottish man yelled out to her and waved her over frantically, "London, my good woman! Long time no talk! Come over here and join in the game! We're playing strip poker!"

Tali shook her head by the confusing statement, "Kenneth, if I play strip poker I'll most likely die. I don't think I would like that. Besides, we were playing—"

"Ahhhyayaaahahahah…We're playing. Strip. Poker. Tali." Kenneth glared at the Quarian before suddenly shifting to a wide grin when looking upon London.

Gabby hit the perverted man hard on his right shoulder that rewarded her with a loud "OW—I was only teasin' the lass."

Tali turned in her seat to gaze over the beautiful woman. "I don't believe I, Gabby, or Legion has had the pleasure of meeting you Miss—?"

"_Legion?" _London shrugged off the thought and offered a relieved smile, happy that at least the other people in her company were normal. "Just London, thank you. And you are Tali I presume?"

Tali blinked behind her visor, "I am, but how did you know?"

London offered a friendly grin, "My little sister talks about you all the time. She's completely in love with your accent and enviro-suit. She says they're both beautiful."

The Quarian chuckled lightly, "Teagan is quite adorable. I'm glad I had to chance to meet such an amazing little child."

The sniper nodded her head in thanks. "May I sit with you all?"

Gabby waved her over, "Yeah go ahead, and feel free to join our game! It's just simple poker. Legion here is learning to be our dealer. He's rather good at counting cards, but honestly, what else is expected?" The engineer grabbed everyone's hand of cards and handed it off to what London thought was their lighting source.

London's eyes got so big Kenneth could have sworn they were about to pop out as she took a second look at what she had thought was a lamp. The sniper lifted her hands in front of her and took two cautious steps backwards. "…th-That's…holy…is that—I mean…there's no way…"

Three pairs of eyes and one optic all stared at her before it finally dawned on Tali to speak up quickly, "Trust me, I felt the exact same way when I first met him. But you get—"

She pointed an accusing finger. "T-That's a Geth! A working and fully operating Geth and—"

The flaps on Legion's optic went up in interest, "We are Geth. The statement is correct. And you are London. Human. Female. Posture indicates fear of this platform. Do not fear."

London couldn't reply for the longest of time; she could only gaze upon the Geth with eyes searching to find an answer for a question she had not yet formed until they fell upon the piece of N7 armor. She didn't understand. "T-That armor piece, isn't that what Shepard wears?"

Everyone turned to stare at the repair made by Legion.

Legion's optic too turned to gaze over the place London had pointed. "Yes."

"He gave it to you?"

Legion adjusted his optic flats. "No."

Tali, Kenneth, and Gabby all exchanged looks before looking over to the tense London then at the calm Legion.

The sniper's voice called out in uncertainty, "That's…unusual for a Geth is it not? You just—"

"I needed to repair."

"Repair?"

"There was a hole."

London quirked a brow, "Well there's a bigger hole _still_ in the middle of your chest, but that's not the point. It's…_odd_. Wouldn't that suggest a need to feel a sense of…belonging? I had heard that Geth act on consensus between the programs, that everything you do is a calculated means to an end. I-Is that not correct?"

"It is a correct statement."

The sniper could hardly fathom what she was speaking to. She took a moment to consider his words then form another question, "So you cover your 'hole' with a piece of N7 armor. Wouldn't that suggest an irrational act going against the concept that everything your people do is calculated and unaffected by emotion?"

Legion was quiet for a moment. His optic whirred softly as it focused on the questioning woman's face. "No data available."

London blinked blankly, "…no data available?"

The Geth simply restated himself. "No data available."

"So…you're not acting as an individual? There's no need for identifying yourself uniquely?"

"There is no individual. We are Geth. We are a mobile platform, housing 1,183 programs and able to operate outside of the Perseus Veil. We are able to interact with organics directly. It is what we are doing now—with Poke-her."

Kenneth grinned wickedly, "Oh ay, Legion. _Poke her is exactly_ what we should be doing now."

Gabby rolled her eyes, "It's Poker, Legion. It's—you know what nevermind. Listen, London, you could be asking this thing questions all day and you'll end up at the same answer every time, 'No data available'. So my suggestion is just to come over here, sit down, have a drink with us and let's play some cards shall we?"

London furrowed her brow, "You…trust it?"

Kenneth shrugged, "Trust is a mighty heavy word, lass. The way I see it is he hasn't done anything to anyone and hasn't even attempted to hack into our ships data bases. So as it goes—he's fine by me for now."

London thought about it for a moment but ended up shaking her head in disagreement. "I…respect that; however I'm just not comfortable enough around that thing, so I think I'll be taking my leave now. It was nice meeting you all." She couldn't bring herself to look at the Geth again, but nodded her goodbyes to Tali, Kenneth, and Gabby.

Kenneth smirked as he muttered softly to himself, "Hate to see you go, but oh how I love to watch you leave."

London, who would have normally said something to upset his fantasy, simply left the room in a hurry eager to get away and back to her little sister.

So much for being social.

**xxxxxxx**

**Portside Observation**

**10:30PM**

The little biotic was already tucked into bed by the time London had returned. Upon seeing her big sister, Teagan stretched out her arms and made what London liked to call 'grabby fingers'. The sniper smiled softly and complied with the demand, groaning tiredly as she lay down onto the mattress and an eager Teagan wiggled her way into her big sisters warm hug.

London reached behind her own scalp and untied the band that was holding her hair up in a pony tail causing her long loose curls to fall freely over her shoulders. The older woman sighed happily as she gathered her hair and tossed over her right shoulder so it wouldn't get into Teagan's face.

The child reached over and curled some of her sister's silky hair in her small finger, "How come my hair isn't curly like yours?"

London grinned, now running her fingers through her little sister's hair as well to inspect it. "I guess you just got Dad's hair. It doesn't matter though, silly, it's still _very_ pretty and nice and soft like it should be."

Teagan snuggled in closer to her sister's side. "…I wish I looked more like you."

London lifted up the little girl's chin so their eyes would meet, "Listen to me, Tee. You are absolutely beautiful and should be proud of who you are and what you look like. You're going to grow up into a stunning, strong, talented, capable woman and I am truly blessed to be your sister. I am proud that I've witnessed you grow into an already amazing young woman—and mom and dad would be proud too. I know it."

Teagan could feel the wetness in her eyes beginning to form. "I hope so."

London squeezed her shoulder firmly, "You should go to sleep, little one. It's getting late. Day after tomorrow, while I'm on Omega I need you to stay on the ship with the crew so I can go get our things if they're still there alright?"

The little biotic nodded in her understanding. "Okay but…can you sing me a lullaby like you used to on Omega? I know I'm getting a little old but…I really like it…"

London smiled soothingly and covered her little sister with a plush quilt, "Of course pun'kin. Go to sleep now."

The child didn't realize how tired she really was until her body settled. She could feel her eyelids grow heavy as soon as London began to sing.

_If you'll be my star, I'll be your sky_

_You can hide underneath me and come out at night_

_When I turn jet black, you can show off your light_

_I live to let you shine. I live to let you shine_

_But you can skyrocket away from me_

_And never come back if you find another galaxy_

_Far from here with more room to fly_

_Just leave me your stardust to remember you by…_

London hated singing that specific lullaby. It was sad to her and reminded her that sooner or later she was going to have to let Teagan go, to let the child learn and grow. And while she as the guardian wanted this with all her heart, she would soon have to face the heartache of watching the only family she had…walk away. It was a necessary and inevitable hurt she would have to endure.

When the older sister saw that the younger was sound asleep, she smoothly removed herself from Teagan's grasp and settled her down onto the fluffy pillows. The child stirred for a moment, but soon curled up into a cute ball of sleepiness. London sighed happily then exited her bedroom into the dimmed lighting of an already shut down level three deck, however, something caught her eye. Miranda's office light was still on. Was…she awake?

The curious sniper made her way over towards the office and through the quietly hissing doorway only to find Miranda sitting at the foot of her bed with her Cerberus outfit unzipped and revealing her entire upper torso. She seemed to be rather frustrated and trying to remove the Cerberus logo by force. The sound of her door opening caused Miranda's eyes to snap up.

The sight of the operative's black lace bra caused London to swivel right back around and give a loud and very embarrassed ramble, "I am SO sorry! I s-saw the light outside your door and I thought that maybe you weren't asleep and possibly not busy and I t-thought I would stop by to say h-hello because Teagan has made it a point to inform me that I've been coming off a bit um—standoffish since I've gotten here. And really that's not who I am. It's just with everything happening, and there are so many different people on board I get nervous and don't know if they can be trusted—especially when I have a little sister whom had a price of about twenty million credits on her head, you know? So I'm sorry for barging in here like this and—"

"London you can turn around." Lawson was smiling at the ramble. It had given her plenty of time to redress herself and examine the situation.

The sniper exhaled softly, turning around with a sheepish look on her face. "I'm really sorry, Miss Lawson. The door was open and—"

The operative waved her hand and chuckled, "It's quite alright London, and please, just call me Miranda."

London clasped her hands together and nodded once. "I guess with no one else being awake right now I just wanted to see what you were up to. Um…what…were you up to if you don't mind me asking?"

Miranda cheeks went rosy. "It's this damned Cerberus logo. We should be landing on Omega in another day and this little thing here has caused major problems at every stop we've made so far. I was just trying to take it off."

The sniper gave her a considerate smile. "I could help if you'd like. Do you have a sewing kit of some sort? Or maybe a knife?

Lawson shook her head, "I've never been one for sewing or patching things up. If it rips I just buy a new one in all honesty. But, I do have a small knife in my desk over there." She pointed to the first drawer.

London walked over and gave the other woman a look before opening the drawer.

Miranda nodded, "Go ahead, there's nothing in there really besides paper work."

The drawer opened to reveal hundreds of neatly filed papers and a single knife with a tiny two inch blade. London quirked a brow as she took the knife and held it up to show Miranda. "Why do you have one so small?"

Lawson chuckled, "Honestly I have no idea where I got it from. I can't even remember. It doesn't really serve a purpose, but, I never threw it out and don't know why."

London grinned as she made her way to sit by the operative on her bed, "Well it has a purpose _now_."

The operation chuckled and eyed the woman curiously, "I suppose it does, doesn't it? So what now?"

"Well I need to get into the inside of your outfit to view the interior stitching of the logo. Would you mind unzipping your attire just a little so I can fold the material over to see?"

Lawson did as requested and moved her zipper to stop in between her breasts. "Is this okay?"

London nodded. "That should be fine," she said as she gently slid in her fingers to fold the material over. Miranda got goose bumps all over her body causing the sniper to meet the other woman's eyes, "Is everything alright?"

Lawson blushed faintly, "Yes I'm sorry. Your hand was just cold is all, but it's fine now."

The pair sat in silence as London leaned into the operative to examine the stitching closely and work away the small threads with the point of the tiny knife.

"So, London, since we're here why not tell me something about yourself?"

The gray-eyed woman offered a half hearted smile, "I believe you already know quite a bit about me."

Lawson shrugged lightly, "Just making conversation. After all you said you wanted to be more social did you not? Now I do know your background, but what about the little things?"

London chuckled amusedly, "Why the little things?"

Miranda considered the question before responding. "Call it my character flaw if you will. I've spent my entire life at the top of the chain, knowing all I could possibly know about everyone and everything. Hell, if you really look at what I do now it's not much different: I spend my time behind my desk typing away at my terminal, doing research, and reading profiles. I know all the little details…about everyone. But you? You don't have a profile here and it's driving me bloody wonkers that I don't know the smaller things about you. Sure, like I said, I know the background—but it ends there."

London grinned, "In other words: Control freak."

The operative scoffed, "No. I just like to be aware—of everything."

London's smirk grew only wider, "So…nosey?"

Miranda groaned as she tried to explain another way to describe herself. She couldn't find any. "I'm really not making myself sound very good am I?"

London couldn't help but laugh, "Not in the slightest, but I appreciate the honesty. So…I'll answer a few questions but with a catch. Whatever you ask you have to answer as well. Fair is fair. Agreed?"

Lawson squint her eyes as she gazed over the sniper. She hated answering questions about herself but, London was right, fair is fair. "…Fine. That's simple enough."

London smirked as she removed another little stitch from the logo, "You say that now but alright then. Start off with the first question. Go."

"Right. Um…religion. Are you Religious?"

"You really dive in there, don't you?"

Miranda grinned, "There's no turning back now, you agreed after all."

"Fine. Religion. Hmm, I would _like_ to say spiritual, but that'd be a lie considering I don't practice anything… so I guess the term practical fits me best. Therefore, I'm not religious—just practical."

Miranda raised a brow, "In what ways?"

"I guess the 'I know what side my bread is buttered on kind of way'."

The operative shook her head in thought, "…then why would you want to consider yourself spiritual if you're so matter-of-fact?"

"Because I've seen enough daily evil to be thankful for the small mercies thrown my way, it can't all be luck."

"So you—"

London shook her head quickly as she rose a finger towards Miranda, "Oh no you don't. This is not an interrogation! You've just asked about 837 questions, now you have to answer the whole religion thing. Go."

Miranda rolled her eyes and grinned. "Well that's simple. No, I'm not."

London almost looked disappointed, "Well you're no fun. At least explain why."

"Well it sure wasn't anyone's God that created me; it was my extremely wealthy and ego-maniacal father who did. I'm a bloody modified copy of his own genome, engineered to be a specimen of human perfection."

"Well you're certainly not cocky at all…"

Miranda chuckled, "I'm not cocky. I'm just simply stating the facts."

"Well at least that certainly explains your looks."

Lawson's brow found itself lifting once more. "You're one to talk."

London scoffed playfully, "Oh please. You're literally Ms. Perfect."

Miranda pointed a finger in defense, "I will have you know that I am—"

"Next question," the sniper said abruptly, not wanting to give the operative time to bring up an argument.

Lawson let out an annoyed exhale, "Fine. What's the worst thing about you?"

London thought out loud, "Like a bad habit of some sort?"

"Anything. What do you not like?"

There was silence between the two for a moment as London continued to work on Miranda's logo problem, "No one knows this but I guess it would be the fact that I have an acute sensibility but a romantic imagination…and together the combination is just…_terrrrrible_," London begun to giggle in spite of herself. "I guess that's what I get for reading so many of those old books. Too many cheesy romance novels filled with over the top emotions and heart wrenching one-liners."

Miranda couldn't resist laughing softly with her, "Well that _would_ be quite horrid now wouldn't it?"

London smiled, "You have _no_ idea. But now it's your turn to answer."

Miranda mentally cursed herself out, forgetting to be careful with the questions she asked. Now she was forced to reveal something she didn't like about herself. "Um…I guess…" she exhaled, "…well this is going to make me sound incredibly childish, but I'm terrible at making friends. I either come off as a snob or just a plain bitch." She tried to laugh and make it seem like it was just a terrible joke, but she could tell it wasn't very convincing. "…it's been a lonely road so far."

London blinked at the operative, "You're kidding right? That was a joke? You seem like you would have been voted 'most popular' back in school."

Lawson winced, informing London it wasn't a joke at all. "Ha! Far from it! My father imposed a very…strict lifestyle on me. He forbade me from making friends or having a social life of any kind to put it plainly."

London looked impressed, "Wow. That wasn't expected _at all._ So…you never got to enjoy yourself?"

Miranda shrugged as she looked over the surface of her floor. "Well it's hard to miss something you never had so it wasn't all dark moments and deep brooding," she sniggered quietly. "I rather did enjoy my studies though. The only thing that ever bothered me was never being good enough for the man who bloody created me. He always wanted more and wanted better. But, by being here with Shepard, I learned that while my genetic tampering might have given me the advantage to succeed, that my accomplishments as well as my failures are of my own doing. I am not stuck under my father's shadow anymore."

London thought for a brief second, "So… if you were alone for most of your adolescence, you must have not had many boyfriends right?"

Miranda blinked blankly at the other woman, "Out of everything I just told you, _that's_ what you got?"

London couldn't help but laugh, "I just still find it shocking is all!"

"London, you make me sound like I was a hermit! I will have you know that I had my moments of frivolous outings in my youth."

"Oh really? How many 'outings' are we talking about?"

Miranda rubbed the back of her neck, looking away from the snipers direction and suddenly finding the white walls genuinely entertaining, "Oh…you know…three or…four."

"…so from the time you were a child up until now you've had…three or four outings." The sniper rolled her eyes, "You _rebel_ you! So if that's true when was your last relationship? And with whom?"

Miranda crossed her arms under her breasts and shook her head, "Need to know basis only."

London grinned wickedly, "I heard it was Jacob."

Lawson threw her hands up and jeered, "Well if you already knew then why ask—and how did you even find out?"

London shrugged in innocence, "People on this ship talk _a lot_. And I only asked because I was hoping you'd elaborate!"

Miranda sighed dramatically before caving in, "I…ugh. It was a brief but intense relationship if you must know. However it… just didn't work out for either of us in the end—and we're leaving it at that!"

London chortled, raising her hands up in protection from the defensive tone in Miranda's voice. "Alright, alright. Let's see…oh I have a ques—"

"Nope," Lawson interrupted with a snap, "you just asked the question, now you have to answer. Last relationship?"

London crossed her arms and smirked, "Easy. I was nineteen years old and his name was Taylor Owens."

Miranda raised her brows, "Nineteen! Aren't you—"

"—twenty five, yes, and you don't have to remind me that it's been a while. Believe me when I say that I _know_. Now, like it or not I'm going to ask the next question."

"Fine, go ahead and ask."

London got back to work on the last section of stitches. "Mmm…something simple this time. Oh—favorite color. Right off the bat I'll say mine is orange."

Miranda smirked at the innocence of the question but took a moment to think of what hers would be. "I guess mine would have to be Winter's Gold."

London started blankly at her with a raised eyebrow, "…winter's gold?"

"Yes—why are you making that face?"

London laughed, "...because that's not a color! I mean… who says," she mocked the Australian but added a bit more pompousness to the tone, "Winter's Gold is my favorite color!"

Miranda look amused, "Hey! You asked and I answered!"

"Well I know that but what the hell is Winter's Gold? I mean, is that like…a yellow?"

Miranda thought for a second, "No, I would say it's more of a white."

London sighed with a smile, "Your favorite color is…white?"

"Nono—well it's more of a white with a slight yellow tint."

The sniper covered her eyes and shook her head with a light laugh, "So…you're favorite color is like a pale ducky yellow?"

"No, I would say it's more of just a …_really fancy_ white?"

London threw her hands up and chuckled, "I give up. But I'll have you know that white is _not_ a color."

"I didn't say white, I said Winter's Gold."

"Not a color."

"So a color."

"Not."

"Oh I think it is."

"It's absurd."

"It's unique."

"It's a terrible color."

"It's still my favorite color."

"White is the absence of color—of pigmentation. Winter's Gold is not a color."

"Are we really about to argue over the theory of whether or not white is a color?"

"No need to argue," London started smugly, "It's not."

"It is!"

"It is—not."

Miranda growled playfully, "You know, I would like to know where—ugh! Why are we prattling on like a bunch of school children? This is ridiculous."

London laughed as she eased her hand out of Miranda's outfit, the small logo falling down into the operative's lap afterwards. "All finished with your little logo problem, and you started it," she scoffed, "Winter's Gold. _Pfft_."

Miranda rolled her eyes as she picked up the logo and tossed it into a smaller trash can, thinking of another question. "It's getting late so…I think I'll ask only one more question. Are you up for it?"

"Might as well since we're here and have already started. What is it?"

Miranda leaned in as if really interested in the topic that she was about to bring up, "Well I hear you talk about and describe Teagan all the time. So just talk about—or rather describe yourself."

London inhaled as she considered that question, "That's…a rather loaded topic, don't you think?"

Miranda grinned softly, "Just say whatever comes to mind."

London smiled, "You mean something cliché like 'do I think I'm a good or bad person' or 'what things do I like doing when I'm not working or taking care of Teagan' kind of thing?"

Lawson shrugged and offered an encouraging laugh, "Well it's a start."

The sniper exhaled, "Okay then. I guess if I had to answer the first question I'd say that between being a good and bad person—I'd consider myself to be bad.'

Miranda blinked in disbelief, "There's no way. Why would you think that?"

"I think it's simple really. I'm concerned for the universe, but lack the compassion to act on its behalf."

"Well that doesn't make you a bad person exactly."

London considered the thought, "Perhaps, but indifference doesn't make me good either. In my eyes, there is nothing worse than just watching while something bad happens to another. It makes me no different than the offender."

Miranda didn't quite understand, "So then why not act if it bothers you so much?"

"Because I have a little sister that counts and expects me to come home every night."

Lawson thought out loud, "So safe and uninvolved."

London nodded, "Especially when on Omega, exactly. There's no room for getting myself hurt when you have another person that depends on you, unless of course that person gets kidnapped and requires you to fight off and kill about twenty seven Blue Sun operatives." She took a breath, "And as for hobbies: I like to read old books. I love the way they smell and the way they feel in my hands. I also love playing my father's qitan. On one of his travels he bought it from an expert asari craftsman. It's reminiscent of a guitar from old times, but it has a harp like quality to its tone and only has five strings."

The operative found herself staring at the way London's mouth moved, then moved up to her eyes, smiling as she heard the tale of where her father got the instrument. "It sounds lovely…."

They both gave each other a brief look before breaking eye-contact.

"London, I hope you know you did a great job with Teagan," the operative said casually.

The sniper smiled lightly, "No, my mother and father set her on the right path. She's just like them."

Miranda gave her a questioning gaze, "And who are you like?"

London looked at her hands, her fingertips grazing over the material of her blue jeans, "I am the person I had to be to ensure that Teagan grew up well and happy. Nothing more, and nothing less really."

Miranda wrinkled her brow and bit her lower lip lightly in thought. "Believe me when I say I know the feeling."

London brought her gray orbs to look over Lawson's face. "Oh?"

"…I have a little sister of my own. She was created the same way as me; I like to call her my twin, only we're not physically identical but rather genetically identical."

London brought a small smile to her lips. "I had no idea. How old is she? What's her name?"

Miranda released a happy sigh in thought of her sister, "Oriana. I still like to call her a child but …she actually just turned eighteen a few months ago." The operative found herself chuckling, "I suppose that no longer makes her a baby."

London leaned over to nudge the other woman with her shoulder gently, "They could turn thirty-five years old and we'll always want to protect them."

Lawson tucked a strand of hair behind her own ear, turning to smile at London. "I agree with you one-hundred percent."

The sniper cocked her head in curiosity, "So what happened, if you don't mind me asking?"

"You mean what happened with my sister?"

"Yeah…you said you knew what it was like to have to live a certain life in order to ensure your sister's happiness. It sounds like a story if you ask me." London gave her an encouraging smile.

Miranda grinned at the curious woman beside herself, "Well, I've told you what my father was like. He didn't want daughters so much as he did his dynasty. Foul man if you ask me—always pushing, always wanting and _never_ stopping. When I came of age I got out as soon as I could only to have my father pursue me. He pursued me until I found my way into Cerberus. I had heard of the organization through my father's connections; he sympathized with the whole 'human-centric' agenda. As soon as I joined, however, he stopped his pursuits but also severed his ties to the group. Eventually I—okay some people refer to it as _having stole Oriana_, but I think that's a load of crap. I _rescued_ my sister from that damned man's tyranny and found her a lovely home and offered her a normal life on Illium, a life that my father would have denied her. Cerberus offered both me and Oriana protection in exchange for my services to their organization. I was foolish though to think that it would be the end of that bloody man, our _damned_ father." Miranda frowned, "He stopped caring and looking for _me_ long ago—but my sister? It turned out he just couldn't give up his second trophy child. He tracked her, found her, and tried to abduct her." Miranda inhaled, "Longer story made short: Shepard helped me deny him that wish. I relocated Oriana to a place of my choosing, and that's where she is now. She's safe, normal, and happy, like it should have been from the start."

London nodded, "There she is, and…here _you_ are."

Lawson chuckled, "Exactly."

London smiled gently upon the operative, "Not that it matters coming from me, but…I think you did the right thing. Hell, I've been trying to just give Teagan a normal and happy life since…" _The sniper swallowed lightly, thoughts of her parents laying dead under home-made quilts ran through her mind._

Miranda placed a soft hand upon London's shoulder, "…I know, and… thank you."

London exhaled, "…this…this was nice talking with you. I don't think I've done this with another adult in a long time. I should go though. It's really late and I need to get some sleep."

Miranda stood up and walked the other woman to the door, "I enjoyed this too. And despite the slightly awkward beginning, I do hope we can speak again."

London stopped at the door and gave her a small nod and smile, "I would like that too. So instead of goodbye I guess I'll just say…see you later?"

Lawson nodded happily in agreement, "Yes, I'd rather like that. I'll… talk to you later."

[End 14: Getting to Know You]

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_A/N: A quick thank you to everyone who has subscribed, added to favorites, and reviewed. And to zebrahater, thank you for your wonderful beta help. =)_


	15. Whims of the Heart

**[[Author's Note: I'm baaaack. =) Sorry everyone had to wait so long! This chapter made me a bundle of nerves and I really had to take my time to write it- but I think I got it right.**

**Once again: Thank you to zebrahater for being such a wonderful beta reader. I usually end up writing my chapters when I'm half asleep and from 2-7am when everything is quiet and no one bothers me- so you can only imagine what a pain it must be for him. ;P  
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**AND ******This story is rated M. If you take offense to anything that entails I suggest you just not read this chapter.********

**EDIT: Had to fix a few corrections I missed in my beta read that were annoying the hell out of me so I re-posted.  
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Chapter Fifteen: [Whims of the Heart]

**[4****th**** day of flight to Omega/Commander's Cabin/9AM]**

Commander John Shepard sat at the edge of his bed and rested his gaze upon the tattooed woman who fiddled away at his terminal. "What are you doing over there, Jack?"

The woman shrugged off the question, "Nothin', just reviewing the messages Mordin has been sending you."

John leaned back onto the pads of his palms and grinned, "Don't take those messages to seriously—he doesn't know that we're not having sex. Mordin is just trying to help and just wants us to be careful."

Jack raised her hands behind her neck and rested the weight of her head. "You shoulda' expected as much."

Shepard raised a brow, "Meaning?"

"Between the tats and the attitude most people think screwing is a given when it comes to me—that it comes standard or some shit."

Shepard smiled, "…ooooor, it just might be the fact that the _entire_ Normandy crew knows about us openly."

Jack leaned over to get a better view of Shepard. "How the hell you know that?"

"It's simple. Joker AND Kasumi know. And if those two know then…"

Jack groaned, "…everyone knows."

Shepard chuckled, "Bingo."

Jack pushed herself up from her seat and made her way over to sit down near the commander instead. "Hey, Shepard?"

John turned his head to look over the woman beside him, "Yes?"

"…What exactly are _we_ anyways?"

Shepard sat up and reached over to take her chin. Callused fingertips grazed over the softness of Jack's skin, turning her head and forcing the biotic to look into the commander's eyes. "…I thought it was obvious."

Jack could feel the corner of her lip begin to lift as she unconsciously began to lean in for a kiss. "…mind clearin' it up then?"

Shepard grinned playfully, "…you know what?"

Jack blinked in confusion, irritation becoming noticeable on her facial features as Shepard stopped an opportunity to kiss. "…what?"

"I think I'll go one step further. I'm going to ask you, you'll answer, and what we are will become more than official; it'll be so crystal clear between us there will never be any doubt in anyone's mind."

The ex-convict was officially annoyed, "Shepard what the hell you talkin' about? I'm perfectly fucking happy with a one word answer. What are we?"

John shook his hand at her, "Aw come on, just bear with me here for a second alright?"

Jack shook her head disapprovingly and exhaled, "Just hurry up and do whatever it is you're gonna do..."

The commander smiled brightly and stood up quickly, reaching out to take hold of the biotics' hands and pulling her up to her feet, "Okay just stand there—don't move."

Jack eyeballed him, "…the hell, Shepard?"

John Shepard suddenly had gotten down on _one knee_ in front of the ex-convict, taking one of her hands softly into his and raising his baby blue eyes up to meet Jack's hazel. "Jack, will you—"

"_ohshitohshitohshit," _Jack took her free hand and punched Shepard square in the nose to stop the question the quickest way she knew how.

There was a soft popping nose when John's head snapped back as he lost balance, falling onto his ass as his left hand came up to grab the now throbbing tissue. "FU—!" The commander brought two fingers from each hand and pushed the slightly crooked nose back into position with a soft crack. Shepard's voice was loud and confused, "Jack! What the hell!"

The biotic pointed an accusing finger towards the man on the floor then proceeded to her old ways of pacing back and forth in frustration and panic. When she finally spoke her voice was practically shouting, "You know I ain't ready for _that_ shit!"

Shepard pinched his nose and held his head back to try and subdue the blood. When he replied, it was in a very nasal tone, "—I was going to ask you to _formally_ be my **girlfriend**! That way it'd be concrete and completely obvious with no room for what ifs' or second thoughts!"

Jack's eyes got big, "I thought—well why didn't you just fuckin' say so?"

"I JUST TRIED!"

The biotic spat back, "WELL FUCK! How was I supposed ta' know?"

Shepard growled lightly, "You could have waited till I asked!"

Jack's paced around the room in larger strides, "Goddammit, Shepard!" The biotic could hear John groan quietly as he got to his feet then preceded to sit on the foot of his bed. She took a breath and stopped her pacing, resting her palm on her forehead and felt it to be _too_ warm before she made her way towards the cabin door. She shouldn't have asked the question, it was becoming overwhelming way to quickly. "I don't know, Shepard. I gotta go. I needa think about this shit."

Shepard could only sigh heavily, looking at her before wiping his bloody nose again, wincing upon the contact but making no sound of pain. "Take all the time you need. And for what it's worth I'm sorry for pulling that scene on you. I thought it would have been nice I guess—innocent. You know like back in grade school when you'd pass the kid you liked a message with a simple yes or no option? It made the relationship between both people solid and clear."

The biotic stopped in the doorway and looked over her shoulder at him with a slight saddened stare, "No…I don't know what it's like."

Shepard covered his eyes, mentally cursing his poor choice of imagery. _"You damn idiot, Shepard. You God damned fucking idiot."_

Jack clenched her jaw before turning to leave out of the cabin, a painful silence being the only thing left behind for Shepard to have of her.

**xxxxxxx**

The biotic planted her back roughly against the elevator's far wall, letting a small growl escape the confines of her throat. "_What the fuck were you thinking asking him somethin' like that? And what the hell was HE thinking? I ain't no thing to be had."_

Jack bit her lower lip hard as she instantly reconsidered the statement, _"…but if you didn't want to be had then why the fuck do you __want__ to be," _she gulped, _"…his." _She was starting to get nervous about the whole situation she had just put herself in. Being someone's girl meant being tied down, it meant that if shit ever hit the fan again there would be no clean escape...just like what happened with Murtagh. But then again…she hadn't felt like running as of late. There was no urge to pack up whatever sparse belongings she had and get the hell out. She wanted to stay _in_. She wanted to be _with_ Shepard.

The elevator doors opened to deck three. Jack stormed out of the lift's confines, ignoring both the frightened stares and the tentative 'hellos' the Normandy's braver crew members managed. Instead of responding to their words, she stormed into the ships' portside observation room only to find London sitting quietly on her couch and reading what appeared to be one of Kasumi's old books.

Both women gave each other a look over in silence almost as if measuring each other up. Jack had no idea why she came to the observation out of all places but she was there and there was no turning back so, after a minute, Jack released an aggravated and rather large exhale before plopping down on the couch as far from the sniper as the furniture allowed.

The women sat with each other in silence for an hour before Jack finally turned to look at London, a woman who could obviously sense that something was upsetting or unnerving the biotic but, for once in Jack's life, wasn't asking her annoying questions about it. There was just stillness and a quiet acceptance about London that Jack started to think of as refreshing. The sniper didn't probe into her thoughts or try to pick her emotions dry; she just sat and accepted the company of the crazy ex-convict with no psychiatrist 'let me help you' bullshit.

London simply returned the gaze with a firm nod. The sniper didn't know a damn thing about Jack—and she was okay with that. The ex-convict was, at the end of the day, simply herself regardless of questions or soul-searching discussions. London understood the need for silence and the need for someone to just _be_ there and not ask questions just as much as Jack did. They had both gone through more than their fair share of experiences, and there were times when they just really didn't want to talk about it. When it was time to talk, it was time to talk.

Jack furrowed her brows in deliberation as the two women gazed at each other. Jack was not a woman of thought; she was a woman of action, so when her mind began to race at a thousand miles per minute she knew she needed to make it stop—to sort it out. Wound up in her own mind, Jack found herself resting her face into the pads of her palms as if trying to find solace in the darkness and warmth they had to offer. Her voice was tiny and barley audible when she spoke, "…I just wanna be happy for _once_. Whoever that holy motherfucker is up there owes me big for all the shit he's put me through. I don't wanna run no more. Why can't I just fucking _stop_….I," Jack tried to swallow through the dryness in her throat; "…I _like _it here."

The sniper brought her eyes back down to her novel and raised a brow, carefully considering each sentence before offering a slight shrug towards Jack, "So don't run. Stop."

Jack turned her head, sarcasm dripping from every letter in her sentence, "No. Shit."

London sighed as she put her book down into her lap and raised her gray eyes to meet Jack, "You're making this a lot harder than it has to be. Now I don't know what it is you're going through or even what the hell you're talking about, but in life I've found there are always going to be two options—and two options only: Do it, or don't. There's never an in-between and both choices will have consequences somewhere down the road."

The ex-convict considered London's words carefully before the sniper opened her mouth to speak again, "If you want to stay then stay. If you want to change then change, if you want to stop then stop, and if you're waiting for some holy man to shine his light down on you—then I'm telling you now you're going to be waiting a very long time. The fact is that shit happens in this universe and we make the best we can out of it and deal with the facts of life."

Jack scowled, "Don't fuckin' talk to me about makin' the best out of the shit you've been given. I've been—"

"—and yet here you are, still questioning. Bad stuff has happened and you made the best of it _then_, but _now_ that something good has been thrown in your lap… you second guess it? Honestly? Take it and make it yours. Make it _count_."

The biotic couldn't think of anything to say, and somewhere deep in her own cynical mind she thought that just maybe this London girl was right. Jack had always rolled with the punches and gone where the wind lead her. She had made the best she could out of her life and even managed to get out in one piece; scarred—but alive. However, now that she finally had something good given to her, she found that her first instinct was to escape? What the hell kind of logic was that? The ex-convict ran over the sniper's words, _"…only two options: do it or don't…if you wanna change then change, if you want to stay then stay." _Jack then recalled another time weeks ago when she admitted to Shepard that she wanted to transform herself and _be_ better than what life had made her into. The ex-convicts entire life was built around the rules she made for herself, around the feelings her gut gave her, around the burst of her shotgun, the choices of her trigger finger, and the terror of her biotics. Never once had she ever had to deal with the whims of her heart. The words repeated in her mind over and over, _"Do it. Don't. Do it. Don't. Do it. Do—"_

Jack's thoughts were suddenly interrupted with a child's excited voice, "London! Lon—JACK!" Teagan had burst through the doorway carrying a small satchel of paints and her body language seeping happiness, "I didn't know you were gonna visit today, Jack!"

London grinned as she casually flipped through another page in her novel, "Nice to see you too, Tee."

Jack cleared her throat, "Hey, midget. I—uh … wasn't _plannin'_ on visiting today but something came up and I just needed to—" Jack decided not to delve into her problems with a seven year old so promptly changed the conversation, "Hey what's that ya got there?"

Teagan eyed her satchel, "Oh this? It's just some paint Kasumi had forgotten to pack in my case and—hey! Do you wanna paint with me? It'll be lots of fun!"

Jack started to feel almost instantly uncomfortable again, "I don't think so kid—"

"Aw come on! I have an extra canvas and more than enough brushes to share—and paint too! All you gotta d—"

Jack lifted her hand to stop the pleading child, "Okay God damn it. I'll _try_ this painting crap, just no more squawking okay? Givin' me a bigger headache."

London giggled as she continued to read while Teagan zipped her mouth and nodded her head furiously. Jack took a few steps up towards the eager child who took the biotic by the hand and pulled her over to the painting station. London eyed over the odd pair with a small grin, Teagan was talking quickly and excitedly as she explained what everything at the station was. The sniper chuckled as the small child shoved a handful of brushes and a bundle of paint at the irritated but still oddly intrigued ex-convict.

London could see the annoyance in Jack's face as the biotic fumbled with the load of small objects that were thrust into her arms. But once everything had settled, London could also see the sudden serene look of concentration on Jack as she added an array of bright reds, dark crimsons, vibrant oranges, and loud yellows onto the plain white canvas. Jack's work was becoming as colorful as the ex-convicts life. It never really occurred to the sniper that painting could have ever been anything more than a hobby for Teagan given her age, but London saw just then that it was also her way of expressing herself and helping the child cope with the day to day life she had been forced to live. It was therapy, and from the look of Jack, maybe it was having the same effect. Jack didn't seem to have the same appearance of worry etched across her features as she did when she had first arrived into London's quarters.

"I think I'll leave you two for a little while to do your painting," London casually threw out into the quiet room. The woman lifted herself off the couch and made her way towards the door. "I'll be back in an hour or two okay, Tee?"

The child turned her head and nodded, "Kay…but where ya goin'?"

London genuinely smiled, "You told me to make friends so…I made one."

Teagan beamed at her older sister, "That's great! I'll be here with Jack then!"

The sniper chuckled, "Alright. Be good."

**xxxxxxx**

**[Deck Three/ 11:30AM]**

"How are you today, Mr. Gardner?"

The mess sergeant turned his attention to the lovely woman across the counter, "Well if it ain't Ms. London—I'm doing good! Just finishing up with lunch preparations right about now, but how the hell you doing, honey?"

London smiled politely at the older gentleman who was preparing up the Normandy's afternoon meal. "I'm doing very well this morning, thank you. I was just wondering if I could help you prepare lunch today—or if you needed help doing anything else?"

Gardner sniggered quietly, "What is it with the women in your family, ma'am? Are you all normally this helpful or are you just all just gluttons for punishment?"

London's smile grew with genuine interest, "What do you mean?"

"Well heck, it was not that long ago that your little sister was down here asking me if she could help make the crew breakfast! She's a great little baker that one, and was a tremendous help."

The woman gazed over the clean counter and offered a small laugh of her own, "Yes, she told me about that. She said that she had a wonderful time. I just thought that since you all have been so very kind to both of us that I could help out around the ship a little bit—or at least where I wouldn't get in the way. So," she offered a charming smile towards the mess sergeant, "could you use my help?"

The older man's cheeks warmed at the unaccustomed sight of such a beautiful woman gracing him with such a beautiful smile. "Erm…it's not necessary but if you'd like to help that would be fine all the same, Ms. London. I'll take the non-human dishes, they're a bit more difficult to make and call for specific details in preparation. You can help out by picking something at random from my list over there and preparing the food for everyone else."

London glanced over to where the Sergeant had pointed at a data pad. She took a few steps over and took it into her hands, turning on the screen and reviewing the long list of contents it held. "So that's how you decide what you make for the day? Just choose something at random?"

Gardner nodded, "Yep. Keeps things new and fresh—and leaves me not so bored when it's all over and done with."

London stopped at several choices with special markings beside the title of the course, "What are these little marks for? They look like little stars beside the name of the dish."

The mess sergeant was reviewing his dextro-animo table of food contents just for safety before creating the course, "Ah, those are favorites of the crew members— if you click on the entry it'll tell you who prefers the dish."

"…oh," the sniper had said softly to herself, clicking a few of the entries to see who had a taste for what. It was so odd reviewing the Normandy crew's favorite list of cuisines; somehow it made the squad of super soldiers seem more…_normal_.

She couldn't help but grin at some of the things the human crew members preferred: Grunt, though not human, seemed to have a weakness for the human way of cooking fried fish, Jacob liked the tomato soup entrée, Kasumi seemed to have ordered sushi more than a few times, Dr. Chakwas was partial to calamari, Kelly had ordered the 'chef salad specialty' several times, Shepard liked the 'thick triple bacon cheddar cheese burger', Jack had a thing for fully loaded baked potatoes with strips of any kind of red meat on top, Kenneth liked fried mushrooms, Gabby preferred the lemon chicken, and Miranda… steak?

London laughed loudly as she read through the preferred list of cuisines which in turn caused Gardner to spin around with a smile of his own, "What's so funny over there?"

"Well for one—I had no idea you military type ate this well on board, and two—Miranda prefers…steak? Is this serious?"

Gardner found himself shrugging in laughter as well, "What can I say? It's a hell of an expense, but the commander has been ridiculously good to us since he's gotten here. It's most definitely not an everyday thing though, but instead more of a 'special occasion' thing. Oh—and believe me, I was just as surprised when I found out myself about Operative Lawson. Between you and me she seems like more of a –"

"—salad eater."

The mess sergeant clapped his hands and pointed at the sniper enthusiastically, "Exactly! But it seems like the woman does like her meat."

London let what seemed to be Gardner's unintentional pun pass by and considered the menu for a moment instead. "Mr. Gardner? Would it alright if…I made this for her lunch? Just a small steak."

The mess sergeant quirked a brow, "If it's just this once I don't see why not. Your little sister made everyone a special muffin when she took over—might as well let you have your fun too. We'll get that done after we finish making everything else. Are you plannin' on giving her a little visit?"

London nodded, "Yeah, I was actually on my way to visit her before I took notice of the time and stopped here instead. Figured since it's about lunch time not only could I help you out, but maybe make both me and Ms. Lawson something to eat while I was at it."

Gardner waved her over, "Not a problem then. Let's get this stuff started, the sooner we finish the quicker we can _both_ eat. Matter of fact…make me one of those too…"

**xxxxxxx**

**[Miranda's Office/12:40PM]**

"Jacob what do you want me say? And I'll have you know that this is hardly an appropriate discussion. It's more than awkward talking about this with you so in all honesty I'd just prefer to not speak of the matter." Miranda was pacing around the foot of her bed, arms crossed tightly and shoulders tense as she spoke towards her comrade whom was sitting against her desk.

"Oh come on Miranda it's me. We used to talk all the time about everything. Besides, I'm worried about you. You're always so stressed now!"

"It's this whole Teagan situation and with Harbin—"

"Doooon't start with that. You don't have to tell me, I was there with you through the whole thing, remember? But, in all honesty, what can we do about it right now? We've warned the council, shown the videos—and they STILL all have sticks up their butts the size of Grunt. It's a wonder any of them can even walk straight. The only thing we can do now is gather our resources and materials and prepare ourselves the best we can for one hell of a battle. Also—it's already been almost three weeks since our _last_ suicide attempt, Miranda."

Lawson shrugged lightly dismissing the statement. "And the point would be?"

Jacob glared half heartedly, "Oh don't you do that tough girl 'I have walls' bullshit, Lawson. I _know_ you. You haven't even tried to just relax one time! You're always Ms. Business and it's not _healthy_."

Miranda clenched her jaw tightly as her anger started to unravel, "Well excuse me for keeping to my responsibilities! Someone on this bloody ship has to! The rest of this crew is too damn busy with their 'relationships' and damned teenager hormones to actually get any work done."

Jacob sighed lightly as he stood up and walked over towards the ex-operative. "…you know that's not what I meant…"

Lawson held her hands out to stop the man's approach, "Then what did you mean, Jacob? Because as far as I'm concerned it just sounds like you're saying that I need to let my hair down and get laid."

"I didn't say that at all, Miranda. I'm just saying that you need to take it easy, alright? You're stressed beyond anything I've ever seen before. I know you're wonder woman, but sooner or later it's all going to catch up. Your body needs rest."

Miranda's gaze went cold, "Don't tell me what my body needs."

Jacob continued his movement towards the protesting woman until he stood directly in front of her, cornering Lawson against the bed and his own body. "I think it needs a hug," he said innocently.

Miranda rolled her eyes, trying not to grin at his friendly and slightly moronic gesture. "God, you're still an idiot. I see not even time was able to change that, hmm Jacob?"

Jacob grinned happily as he noticed a slight shift in Miranda's mood, "Nope. So you gonna give this idiot and your closest friend a hug or what?"

Miranda finally released a small chuckle, "_Closest_ friend? Oh please don't flatter yourself." No matter what she protested, Jacob was right. Lawson was a woman with no other acquaintances besides those aboard the Normandy and a few outside information dealers she contacted when needed. And despite their rocky relationship, Jacob had always been a decent man to her. So, not counting her sister Oriana, he was the closest thing to a friend she really ever had.

The slight hiss of Miranda's door opening was oblivious to the pair as they shared in a hug. Miranda closed her eyes and placed her head on the specialist's shoulder as Jacob wrapped his arms around Lawson's small waist, his voice soft and kind as he spoke, "I just want you to be happy, Miranda. That will be one thing that most definitely never changes about me."

When Miranda finally opened her eyes it was only to find a silent London staring down at the ground while holding two trays of food. "…London?" she called out quietly, causing Jacob to release his hold on Miranda and turn around to view the other woman.

"I…" The sniper's cheeks grew warm as she stared down onto what Gardner called 'the two most perfect steaks and grilled vegetables he had ever seen'. London had trained herself to react to situations quickly and with ease, so it was no surprise when she put on a friendly and rather casual demeanor—raising the trays up to the two crew members with a false smile. "I really didn't want to interrupt—and I'm so sorry I did. I just heard that you two were in here and thought I'd bring lunch over. So," she set the trays down quickly onto the desk, "here it is. I…I hope you two enjoy."

Jacob smiled happily, "Aw that's really nice of you—holy hell is that steak! Okay, what's the occasion?"

London gave him a half-hearted grin before turning to leave, "No occasion, I guess it's just steak day."

Jacob pumped his arm once with enthusiasm before taking a seat at Lawson's desk and ripping into the carefully prepared meal. "That's fiiiine by me. Damn this smells good."

Miranda felt as if her feet were suddenly heavy, _"…we don't have steak days—_London won't you join us for lunch?"

London turned around and gave a simple refusal by shaking her head casually before exiting the office, "I'm not hungry, but thank you."

Jacob turned towards Miranda to see what the problem was, "Hey come eat! It's hot off the grill and damn good. You would have thought Gardner put extra TLC into this. He must be in a reaaaaally good mood."

Miranda quietly took her seat at her desk and observed the carefully created meal. It didn't look like something Gardner would make at all, everything was too neat and to well presented; there was simply too much thought put into the arrangement of the food.

Before Miranda could respond to Jacob's bickering, he crashed through Lawson's train of thought and ruined the presentation on her platter by reaching his arms over to cut the steak for the operative in an attempt to get her eating. "Eat something, Miri."

**xxxxxxx**

**[Portside Observation/2pm]**

London was quick to move down the hallway and towards her quarters, keeping up her usual façade of happiness as she gave polite hellos and considerate nods as she passed by several Normandy crew members. When she had finally reached her door her eyebrow rose in confusion as she heard Jack and Teagan practically yelling within the observation room. The portside door opened to reveal the older biotic giving Teagan a seminar of some sort.

"Okay kid, when you pull some really fuckin' amazing biotic display that completely maims and obliterates your target, you gotta strike a pose and yell, 'Who's the badass biotic now, _bitch_!' Okay—you try."

Teagan struck a very non-threatening pose, "Who's the—"

"—no, midget, you gotta put more 'tude into it." The ex-convict attempted to fix the little biotic's posture. "Also ya' gotta sound more pissy. So really lay it on, okay?"

Teagan relaxed her posture as a quizzical eyebrow rose, "…p-pissy?"

"Angry. Sound more angry."

"Oh! Okay...let me try again…" The little girl struck another pose that was reminiscent of an idiotic galactic rap artist. "WHO'S THE BADA—"

"TEAGAN… don't you dare say it." London was leaning against the inside of the door's frame, arms crossed, and a very displeased look etched across her face.

The child biotic froze for a moment before instantly lowering her arms and standing up straight. Jack groaned in disappointed, "Aw come'on! She was a total badass! Ain't no one ever gonna fuck with her now!"

London rubbed her eyes and exhaled heavily before looking onto Teagan's new 'teacher'. "Jack…what, in the name of all that's good, are you instructing her in?"

"You know, important stuff like teachin' the kid to talk the walk."

London grunt lightly, "Jack I never taught her to walk the walk in the first place!"

Jack scoffed lightly, "Ah don't worry I _just_ covered that for you. This shit is important—especially with her goin' off to that damn school. But I guess that's enough for now." The older biotic turned her attention towards the child, "Damn good job small fry, I'll see ya tomorrow at the squid he—," Jack sucked in her breath and rolled her eyes in annoyance, making the attempt at actually saying the Justicar's name, "…Samara's room."

Teagan nodded happily as Jack left their quarters and towards the elevator again. London eyeballed her little sister who could only timidly stare back and release a nervous giggle. "H-Hi London…"

**xxxxxxx**

**[Commander's Cabin/5:30PM]**

Jack was now standing behind Shepard's closed door and had given herself all afternoon to really think about Shepard's 'proposal'. The small chat with London as well as hanging out with Teagan had actually made the decision _easier_ to make; much to Jack's surprise. The older biotic would watch the child from time to time, contemplating why Teagan made decisions the way she did. Everything was so simple from a child's prospective: if it was something that makes you happy then just keep doing it. So Jack, imitating that mind-frame, began to plug in her own circumstances. What did she love doing? "_Shooting things and crackin' skulls." _Why did she do it? "_It makes me feel all warm inside." _Something else clicked in her head. "_If I could do this for the rest of my life there ain't no one else I'd rather kick ass with than Shepard." _It was all suddenly so simple after that. The only good things she had ever experienced in her life all happened when Shepard was around:

Escape from cryo. _Saved by Shepard._

Get to talk about herself freely. _Listened to by Shepard._

Blow up Pragia. _Helped by Shepard._

Call the Illusive Man a fuckhead. _Encouraged by Shepard._

Help destroy the Human Reaper and save the 'verse. _Led into battle by Shepard._

Get a new Shotgun that she didn't have to steal. _Gift from Shepard._

Sleep without nightmares…_next to Shepard._

Save and meet the biotic child …_because of Shepard._

Commander John Shepard had incorporated and gently woven himself into Jack's life so tightly it had become hard to think of a time when the commander wasn't around. As she considered her options it became increasingly obvious that the choice had been made for her _by_ her a long time ago, and it impressed her to no end that Shepard knew all _he_ needed was the patience, and that all _she_ needed was the time to figure it out on her own. _Maybe he wasn't as dumb as he looked after all._

The corner of Jack's lip lifted into a smirk as two simple words floated effortlessly into her mind, _"Do it." _

The decision was made.

**xxxxxxx**

John looked miserable when Jack had walked in. Although the swelling on his nose had gone down a considerable amount since that morning, he was still slumped over as he rested his elbows on his knees in deep thought, an expression glued on this face that easily passed as a mix between tired, worried, upset, and nervous.

Jack slowly made her way up towards the commander till she stood in front of his slumped form and placed a hand gently on the back of his head, her thumb caressing the scalp beneath with a firm assurance. Shepard didn't bother to look up and meet her gaze. Instead, he enfolded his arms around her midsection and placed his cheek upon the flat of her stomach, holding the slender woman to himself in a vulnerable yet intimate embrace. The biotic merely gazed upon the top of his head for several moments, carefully pondering her next movement before finally and very softly wrapping her slender forearms around John's head and neck, cradling the commander with a gentleness that no one could ever expect from a woman like Jack.

"I'm sorry, Jack...I was an idiot to try and pull something like that on you. I was impulsive, and stupid, and—"

"Ask me again…"

John carefully pulled himself back to finally look upon the complicated and very beautiful woman he had fallen in love with. He didn't say anything, but his eyes betrayed his confusion, causing the biotic to carefully restate herself, "…I want you to ask me again. Ask me… what you asked this morning."

Shepard felt his heart beat faster as he stared into the incredibly sincere looking Jack. He swallowed the lump in his throat and forced his lips to part, "…Jack?"

"...Mm?"

The commander inhaled deeply before taking the biotics' hands from his shoulders and instead holding them firmly. His voice was low, steady, and full of a warmth Jack had never experienced with any other man. "I have faced some truly unimaginable things in my life with little fear. I am not a man to be conquered, and I am not a man so easily taken. But…when I see _you_, Jack? My stomach turns to knots and I feel as if my knees are about to give way to the ground. You are an impressive woman by all standards and I would be the happiest man in this universe if you gave me the pleasure in being mine, and allowing me the honor to be yours in return."

Jack rolled her eyes, grinning softly as leaned into Shepard, placing light kisses on his lips in between her words. "You…are such…a chump. Coulda' just said, 'be my girl'."

Shepard tilted his head, a grin of his own appearing as their lips once again drew close, "So…is that a yes?"

Jack stopped centimeters from John's lips, a full smile on face as she grabbed Shepard by his collar and pulled him up to his feet. Fabric still in hand, the biotic dragged him over to the bed they had shared so many nights before and released him. The slender woman slid off the pair of boots she had worn that day then proceeded to slowly unbutton and remove her pants and black tank-top. Jack's movements were different to Shepard. Usually when they even came remotely close to becoming intimate, Jack would freeze or remove herself from the company of Shepard completely. But suddenly where once there was hesitation, there was now purpose; where there was once fear, there was now confidence.

The biotic slowly sat at the edge of the bed and slid herself backwards until she was at its center and laying flat on her back, her voice calm and low as she replied, "…what do you think?" Shepard gazed over his woman with admiration. Jack was stunning in her simple black bra and laced black panties. Her body was long and slender, her skin smooth and, though covered in scars light and deep alike, was more than enough motivation for Shepard to remove his own shirt, shoes, and pants to crawl slowly onto the bed; the need to feel such a wondrous woman deafening in his mind.

Shepard kissed Jack briefly before he slid his lips over her chin, sliding his lean but muscular body downward as he strategically placed butterfly kisses and sucked softly at her throat, causing Jack to arch her back and gasp at the sensation of his mouth on her skin. The commander then slid his hands up her arms slowly, lacing his fingers with hers as John brought his face up to meet the half lidded biotic. "…tell me what you want," he asked, not wanting to push her past any limitations she still might have.

Jack brought the back of her hand to gently caress John's cheek before letting it wander down his strong neck, across the thick collar bone, and eventually flipping her hand over, the warm padding of her palm landing in between the commander's pectoral muscles and pressing into the spot over his heart. "…I want normal. _Just_ normal. You n' me, okay?" There had been many sexual encounters in Jack's life—not all so pleasant. Either way Jack had found herself entering into all sorts of experiences. She had the wild nights, the kinky nights, nights that had scared her, scarred her, that bored her, but never someone to share normalcy with—and above everything else… _normal_ is what she wanted.

Shepard smiled gently at the woman beneath him. Jack had worn a bra that hooked in the front. Shepard placed his fingers onto the little latch and upon seeing permission in Jack's eyes to continue, he unclasped the hook and helped the biotic to rid herself of the small piece of clothing. John leaned in, kissing her chin before continuing to descend and sliding his lips over the mound of her breasts. Jack gave a soft groan as small electric shocks seemed to exude from his touch, making her body jerk pleasurably in response.

The commander took his time going over her mapped torso, tasting and viewing her wholly, refusing to miss an inch of Jack's sweet and salty skin. John began to kiss the lower half of her flattened tummy, releasing her hands in order to begin caressing her body eagerly but gently. Jack could feel her body growing feverish at his touch, each caress from those callused hands filling her with a heat and passion that she had never quite experienced before. His lips were soft, his tongue so agile, warm, and wet. Jack wanted him to continue.

Whether it was reading her mind or her body, Shepard instinctively held her securely by her waist, gripping her panties firmly and sliding them off Jack's long legs before leaning his head in between her thighs, his tongue pressing down against her bundle firmly, stroking her in one agonizingly long lick. His eyes closed with pleasure as he groaned, adding small vibrations into the delicate heat of Jack, the sweet scent of her filling his nose. Jack released a scream, causing John to quiver and his manhood to harden in anticipation as he devoured her sweetness, continuing until Jack could stand no more and had received her fill. John stayed until her last moan before working his way back up, making sure to keep contact between his form and hers, sliding himself upward until his head hovered above Jack's. John observed her: Jack's entire face and body was slightly damp from his ministrations; her chest was heaving heavily and the gleam of sweat on her skin only seemed to accentuate her beautiful body.

Shepard smiled gently onto his love, leaning in to offer soft kisses onto her forehead, cheeks, and the tip of her nose. "…Are you still with me?" he asked in tender concern. John had known about Jack's dreams. He knew about the rapes and molestation's the biotic had endured, and wanted to make sure she didn't drift of into that time but instead stay with him where she would be safe and loved.

Jack reached her arms around Shepard's neck, pulling him down almost urgently into a heated kiss. She could taste herself on his lips causing her to moan quietly into his mouth, her legs spreading a little wider to accommodate Shepard's muscular form more comfortably. "…I'm here." Her hands trailed down his back, fingernails digging into the tanned skin until they reached the rim of John's boxers. Jack slid the tips of her fingers in and wiggled her body underneath his, allowing the woman more room in pulling his shorts down. Shepard let the clothing piece fall down his thighs and to his knees, lifting his legs then eventually kicking the item off into a small, haphazard pile on the floor.

Shepard kissed her lips again, his form bringing itself down onto the biotic slightly. Jack could feel the length of his manhood against her mound and she groaned, instinctively lifting to hips to tease the already erect member. John hissed softly and bit his lower lip, glancing over Jack with a cautious but loving gaze. "Jack," he managed to stay breathily, "…are you _sure_ this is what you want?" Jack could only nod, her hips lifting again to tease her own entry way with the length of Shepard's shaft.

The moment was broken only briefly as Shepard reached over to retrieve a condom from his night table close by. Once unwrapped, he quickly applied the object before swallowing any doubt he might have had and slowly reached down to take his organ into his hand, placing the tip of his member at Jack's entry way, then taking a small inhale before pushing himself in. Jack gasped loudly, shifting herself underneath the man's weight then lifting her head to examine the connection between the two bodies. She could feel her tunnel clench and release, trying to find a happy medium to accommodate Shepard. "God Shepard," she managed to breathe out finally, dropping her head back onto the mattress and offering a groan.

John didn't dare thrust. With as much willpower as he could muster the Commander kept still, waiting until Jack seemed to have adjusted and readied herself, "Are you okay?" he asked softly, trying his damndest to not buck straight into her sleeve. The biotic bit her lower lip hard, nodding her head as the palms of her hands caressed the length of Shepard's toned back.

Shepard took that as his cue to continue. Slowly he buried the length of his shaft into the heat of Jack's mound, brought almost all of its entirety out, then pumped it back in, eliciting a throaty moan from his partner and an even lower groan from himself. Jack felt wonderful against his length, wet and hot, tightly grasping and then hesitantly and unbearably slow at releasing. This woman was driving Shepard crazy with lust as he thrust into her.

The biotic was lightly panting when Shepard gazed deeply into her eyes and gave his best smile, "**You** and **Me**, Jack," he reassured in a heavy voice, making sure to keep the biotic with him in the very moment they were sharing. The ex-convict nodded furiously, bringing Shepard down to crush their lips together, silently approving of her commander again as Shepard began to move faster, causing Jack's body to bounce beneath him. John had to bring his hand up to grasp the top of her shoulder gently. It wouldn't be good after all if the ex-convict slipped off the bed or hit her head on the headboard.

Jack let out adoring shrieks and moans as she took the commander in fully, giving her complete and utter trust to him as he took control over her lithe body, something she did not relinquish lightly. The biotic pushed hard against his loins, shifting her hips and systematically joining her pelvis with his, causing the commander to groan in satisfaction.

The ex-convict moaned as she felt her body begin to draw in, "Sh—Joh—I'm…I—" Shepard felt her tightening furiously around his manhood and began to move in earnest, wrapping his arms tightly around the woman he loved and bringing her up against his body, catching his lips to hers. "Let me feel you," John said, wanting to feel his prize liquefy over him. Jack let out a scream and stiffened as Shepard began to once again thrust quickly into her tight sleeve. The pressure was amazing before her juices finally hit him. The commander also stilled, his body quivering slightly as her surge burst over him, groaning loudly as her tightness enveloped his organ and refused to let up, his own orgasm beginning to come to fruition. Jack suddenly slammed her hips once more in good graces, burying the commander even deeper into her tightness. It was enough to drive him over the edge, the pressure had built inside of him and he could no longer hold it as he allowed himself release.

Shepard gently lowered himself onto Jack, tasting her lips lightly one last time before attempting to move himself off. The biotic would have none of it. Her legs wrapped tightly around Shepard's waist forcing him to stay on top of her just a little bit longer, his member soft but still inside her and still connecting them. John placed his head on top of Jack's heart, listening as it pounded steadily beneath the inked skin.

Moments passed in blissful silence before John felt it best to slide off her body and onto his back. Jack, not wanting to stay disconnected for long, slid into his arms afterwards to find comfort in the warmth and strength they had to offer.

John chuckled lightly, "…that was definitely a _yes_."

Jack grinned but rolled her eyes anyways, "Fuckin' clueless, I swear."

[End 15: Whims of the Heart]

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**[[ Well there it was folks! The thing I've dreaded writing for the longest of times. I really really really really really really want to know what you thought about the last scene. It's my first time writing anything of the sort and I wanted it to be sensual but tastefully done. Did I achieve that, or did I just suck face and epic fail?**

**LEMME KNOW. Hit the review button and let me have it. ]]  
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	16. City of Filth

_Disclaimer: The Mass Effect Universe and everything in it belongs to BioWare. I only lay claim to London and Teagan._

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[Chapter Sixteen: City of Filth]

**Final day of flight to Omega**

**Portside Observation**

**11AM**

Tali Zorah vas Normandy sat at the edge of the couch cushion, her ankles neatly crossed and her hands politely on her lap. "…by the way, thank you for accepting my company. Being stuck on deck four with Kenneth all day can be a bit…overwhelming."

London chuckled lightly, "Oh it's always a pleasure to have you here. I've never really had the opportunity to speak with any Quarians on Omega under any sort of casual circumstance. I've always been fascinated by the culture, albeit not as much as my little sister, but curious none the less… especially about enviro-suits. They're very beautiful, yours in particular. I've never seen any other Quarians who use such fabric on their suits…what is it, if I may ask?"

Tali relaxed as she smiled brightly behind her purple visor, happy that someone took notice of the details of her suits décor. "It's an incredibly light-flexi material I weaved together myself as an overlay. It doesn't hinder my performance and …well…"

London leaned in towards the engineer with a friendly smile across her lips, "…well what?"

"It sets me apart from the rest and allows me to be unique among other Quarians. We kind of all…look alike. If someone of another species said that, they would simply be accused of having an interspecies bias but, in all honesty, even if you account for many of the physical differences hidden by our enviro-suits, it's pretty safe to say that most of my people tend to look the same. We are almost all uniformly the same size and build, and are born with far less variety than humans."

London's eyes trailed over the battle marks and carefully placed décor of Tali's suit. "So is that how you can tell others apart whilst among the fleet?"

Tali nodded gently, "That is correct. We've had to learn to identify special and very subtle differences in each other's clothing to separate each other, apart from simple voice recognition of course."

The sniper nodded in interest, "Like what?"

Tali pointed to various pieces of her suit as she spoke, "Well depending on the Quarian themselves, there are many things you can pin-point to tell their suits apart. I, for example, have the addition of hand weaved cloth attached to my suit as you've noticed. It's becoming more and more the 'trend' amongst the Quarian females though, so I'll have to think of something else soon…but that's okay. Oh! And another example would be Eector, one of my Aunt's friends that have a slight but noticeable discoloration on his suit's left shoulder. I think he was injured a few years back and hasn't stopped rubbing it since. Other's simply find alternative methods to individualize themselves without using precious resources needed on home ship."

London raised a brow in thought for a moment, "Hmm…"

Tali blinked blankly, "…what is it?"

London suddenly smiled as she thought of something, "Maybe you won't have to change your style, but rather—add to it."

Tali offered a light chuckle, "I don't think I could add anymore material without it beginning to look silly."

The sniper grinned widely, "I didn't mean add more _material_, but maybe something like jewelry?"

Tali shook her head quickly, "I couldn't do that. It'd be a waste of precious metal, something my people simply cannot afford…especially on something so selfish."

London stood from her seat and made her way over to her pack as she replied casually, "It's a good thing that you won't be wasting any precious resources then."

The engineer cocked her head to side in confusion, "I'm afraid you lost me."

After a few more moments of digging, London pulled out a tiny wooden box that she smiled softly upon before standing up once more and crossing over to sit next to the engineer. "Here, pick something from this."

Tali took the little box carefully and opened its lid, gasping lightly as she did so. "I—I can't take any of these!"

London laughed as she poked her own finger into the box and moved around several pieces of handmade jewelry that she had crafted in simpler, more innocent days. "Of course you can. The box and its contents are mine, and if I say I want to give some pieces away, then I'll do exactly that, thank you very much."

Tali looked down onto the carefully crafted jewelry in awe. Everything was so beautiful. London had made bracelets, ankle bracelets, necklaces and rings—all differing in material and sizes. Tali'Zorah ran a covered finger over some of the pieces gently, as if trying to feel the small stones, metal, and twine beneath her gloves. "…did you buy all of these, London?"

The sniper shook her head softly, "I made them."

The bright eyes behind the visor became even brighter when they widened, "You _made_ them? A-and you want to give me one?"

"Well you said you'd have to change your look sooner or later, and these have just been sitting in that box for a long, long time. I can't think of any better use than to actually have someone wear them. It would add to your suit! Do any of them catch your eye?"

Tali returned her gaze into the little box, "They're all so beautiful but…"

London nudged the other woman calmly, "Don't be embarrassed. I'm offering something as a gift. If you like a piece I'd really like to hear which one it is."

The Quarian rested her finger over an ankle bracelet. It was made of a material similar, but incredibly more durable and less 'fuzzy' than twine. Around the thin rope was a single, hair-thin strand of bright silver metal that twisted around the entirety of the loop delicately. Adorning the ankle bracelet was a tiny rock. The stone wasn't precious by any means; it was a simple white rock London had picked up outside her childhood home. However, the stone had been delicately molded and carved into a perfect and smooth circle to resemble a pearl. Tali's smile was hidden behind her mask, causing London to speak up in curiosity. "Do you like that one?"

The engineer barely nodded, but the large smile could be heard clearly in her voice. "It's very handsome."

London reached into the small box to retrieve the said object before getting onto her knees in front of the engineer. Tali waved her hands at the woman embarrassed, "Oh please, you don't have to! I can do it myself—"

"—It's fine, Tali. Besides, it saves you a trip of having to bend down and fumble with this tiny clasp. Which ankle would you prefer it on?"

Tali sat nervously erect as she considered the question, "…the left one."

London nodded, wrapping the bracelet around the preferred ankle and latching the ends together effortlessly. She sat back for a moment, admiring the way it looked on her new Quarian friend. "It looks lovely on you. I think you made a good choice—and no other woman in your fleet will ever have one like it. It's one of a kind."

Tali lifted her ankle to inspect the new addition. It really did contrast beautifully against her enviro-suit, and she couldn't hold her happiness back as she stood up quickly to admire the way it moved when she walked. "It's…it's beautiful, and I'll take care of it always. Thank you, London. Thank you very, very much."

London smiled politely and nodded as she stood up as well. "It's my pleasure. Really. I made them a long time ago for old friends but… that time came and went by so quickly I guess I just never got the chance to give the jewelry away. But, whether it was old friends or," London paused, tasting the next words in her mouth, "…_new_ friends—it doesn't matter. A friend is a friend and I'm glad you got it."

Tali held her own hands together lightly, "…and I am glad that you consider me a friend."

London chuckled, "Well, it's been a while since I've had one so I'm a little rusty at this but…you have been really good to me and my sister. I'd say that counts for something in my book."

The engineer nodded, "I'm glad to hear that. And if you or Teagan ever want to visit again please don't hesitate. I find that the two of you are a rather nice 'breath of fresh air'." Tali tapped the breather on her mask playfully, "…so to speak."

London found herself chuckling at the joke when a sudden knock at the door called to her attention. The sniper smiled and raised a hand at the Quarian as if asking the other woman to wait there, "One second, let me just get that. It's most likely Tee who has her hands full with God knows what and who probably can't reach the button. I'm sure she'll die of excitement when she sees you."

The engineer laughed lightly and sat down on the couch again, crossing her legs and running her finger over the new accessory on her ankle.

The sniper tapped the green button firmly and smiled, "Come on in I'm…Miranda?"

Lawson stood confidently on the other side of the door with crossed arms, a grin coming to her lips as she spoke. "…and here I was thinking that _I_ was Miranda and _you_ were London."

London cleared her throat with a small smile on her face. "Let me rephrase. Hello, Miranda, I wasn't expecting you."

Miranda shrugged casually, "Well, I just happened to be on deck and thought I'd pay you a brief visit. May I come in?"

The sniper took a step back from the entry way to allow passage for the operative. "Of course you may. Tali is here also."

Lawson stood a few feet from the entrance, her stance suddenly very business like as she looked at Tali'Zorah. "Good afternoon, Miss vas Normandy."

The Quarian stopped messing with her ankle bracelet and looked up to greet the XO. "Oh, good afternoon, Operative Lawson."

When Miranda replied it was with certain coldness that Tali had grown accustomed to when she had first met the Cerberus agent. It was odd though. Tali realized as she noticed this that she hadn't heard that frigid tone in a while. "Everything is going well down in engineering I assume?"

Confused, Tali nodded. "It is. I just came up to pay London a visit and get away from Kenneth for a while. He's a good man but between the jokes and his and Gabby's constant and _very_ playful banter…well you know."

It was Lawson's turn to nod. "Understandable I suppose."

London eyed the two business-like women and wondered where the casual feel of the room had gone. So, in an attempt to get that feel back, she spoke up. "I actually just finished giving Tali a gift. It's a small accent for her suit—Tali why don't you show her."

The engineer hesitated but soon brought her slim fingers over the small piece of jewelry adorning her ankle. Miranda's face remained unmoved as her eyes traced the delicate object.

Tali sighed lightly at the operative's cold demeanor, "_Keelah,_ I think I'll take my leave right about now. I've been here for about an hour anyways and should get back to work. I need to ensure everything is in order for our landing on Omega today. If there's one place I don't want the Normandy to break down at—it's there. I mean not that it _would_ but…you know. I'll see you later, London…Operative Lawson."

London blinked as the Quarian nodded her goodbyes and watched as the engineer left her quarters. Miranda cleared her throat while politely covering her mouth with a closed fist, respectfully requesting London's attention back to her. "May I have a seat?"

The sniper redirected her attention towards the other woman. "Yes, of course. What was it I could do for you, Miranda? I didn't take you as a 'just visiting' kind of woman."

Miranda relaxed a bit now that it was only them two, "Well, I can't say you're wrong. However, I honestly did want to pay you a quick visit. I also figure that while I'm here, who better than to brief you on the run-down of today."

London sat down on the cushion next to the operative, folding her left leg underneath herself and casually tossing her left arm over the back of the couch so she could be turned to fully face the operative. "You came to visit _and_ work at the same time? Always business I see," London mused, "and…rundown? I didn't think that would be necessary. It'll just be a quick get in and get out kind of thing and I highly doubt that I'll need help with packing our few belongings." The sniper took a small breath, repeating the agenda she had come up with herself, "I just plan to stop by Afterlife to pick up a personal belonging of mine then stop by my old apartment to see if anything is left."

Lawson nodded slightly before a grin came to her lips, "That's nice, but you'll still have both me and Shepard with you, _like it_ or _not_. We get what has to get done together and as a unit."

London rolled her eyes and leaned her cheek against the cool leather of the couch, "Why the need for escorts, may I ask?"

"We're not escorts in the slightest. I said _unit_," the operative repeated playfully. "Shepard just likes to take three people with him when we dock somewhere. I never figured why just three but…he's the commander so…"

London smiled and listened, closing her eyes for a minute as she continued to rest her head against the fluffy couch. Miranda observed the sniper and tilted her head as she pondered if the other woman would really fall asleep in her company, "…it's only _noon_. You're already sleepy?"

The sniper kept her eyes closed as a small chuckle left her lips, "Honestly? I don't usually sleep very well. Now if you mix that in with your voice…"

Miranda frowned, not knowing what London's comment meant but managing to keep her tone cool and composed. "Well I'm sorry if I bore you," Lawson's said painfully indifferent as she began to get up from her seat to take her leave, "I'll just leave you be to nap in—"

London didn't have to open her eyes when she quickly reached out her hand to take Miranda gently by the forearm. "That's…not what I meant."

Miranda's gaze switched between both where London's hand was touching her arm and the sniper's still peaceful face. Suddenly captivated by the way London's dark eyelashes framed the pale skin of her closed eyelids Miranda retook her seat near the other woman, her voice coming out cold. "What _did_ you mean?"

Still holding Lawson gently but firmly in the warm palm of her hand, London's eyes fluttered open to reveal the softly staring and deeply piercing gray orbs. "I meant that I like the sound of your voice. It's…" she tried to think of a term that would compliment the operative, but not overly so. "…nice."

Miranda lowered her gaze as she turned away to look forward. "…I see."

London chuckled, releasing the XO in the process and returning the free hand to her own lap. "I'm sorry if it came off as otherwise."

Lawson was quiet for a long moment before she spoke up again, "…the steak was delicious by the way."

The sniper only grinned to herself knowing full well what Miranda was trying to do. Lawson was attempting to use the brunette's relaxed state against her, to not only switch the conversation onto London but also trying to get the sniper to casually reveal that she did in fact prepare and create the extraordinary dinner specifically for the XO. London was not one to get caught up in mind games so easily.

The fact that there was no response vocally or in London's body language slightly irritated the ex-operative as she sat quietly in the observation room, soon deciding to press another topic. "So, is Teagan getting ready to go to school?"

The sniper's relaxed face suddenly looked saddened as she turned to press her back against the cushions of the couch. "We're packing little by little. I actually think she's become rather excited to go…it's a good thing."

Lawson looked onto the other woman softly, "…and are you ready to see her go?"

London sighed lightly as she considered the question, "I don't know. I know in my heart that this is the best thing I could ever let her do. It's a chance for her to grow, and make friends, and educate herself. I wouldn't take that away from her for the whole world, it's just…I have my fears."

Miranda offered the brunette a dazzling smile and firm nod, "Remember when you told me that our little sisters could turn 35 and we'll still want to protect them from everything? Well this is certainly no exception."

"—it's just…I've been watching her every day since I became her guardian, and I've gotten so used to seeing her every morning and being the one to put her asleep every night. If she fell down, I'd watch her get right back up and be the one to put ointment on her scrape. What if something terrible happens and I can't be there to help her? What if she ends up not liking the school? I won't be able to speak with her if she ever had any concerns or questions."

"London I think—" The operative's omni-tool beeped loudly, signaling Lawson that she had just received an important message. She groaned and raised a finger to her own temple, pressing down firmly on the tender area, "…I'm sorry, I have to take this."

"You really are always business, hmm," London repeated with a half hearted grin. "It's fine, you go ahead and take it. I'm just babbling on like a child anyways. Speaking of which, I need to go find where Teagan is. It's time for lunch."

Miranda stood up from her seat and looked over the brunette with a polite smile, asking the question she'd become rather comfortable asking as of late. "Talk later?"

London simply nodded, looking up at the other's face with a smile of her own. "Better yet—I'll see you later," she paused, "On Omega…as a _unit_," she mocked teasingly.

Miranda groaned, "Oh heaven help me I just might explode with joy."

**xxxxxxx**

**Captain's Cabin**

**12:30PM**

Jack was spread out along Shepard's bed, her back resting on the mattress as she tossed an apple casually up in the air, only to catch it, and repeat the movement several more times. "I got a question for ya, Shepard."

John was working feverishly over his desk. Kelly Chambers had dropped a new stack of paper work off earlier that required his immediate attention. Stacks of receipts, bills, documents requiring signatures, and others of variety were all going to get done that day come hell or high water. "Alright, Jack—shoot. What's the question?"

The biotic caught the apple one last time, the slap of her hand hitting its' skin roughly echoing quietly out into the cabin. "You know that holo on your desk, the one with the blonde in it? Who is she?"

Shepard stopped his writing and looked over slightly to the left to view the holo. He smiled gently onto the photo, "Adriana Dodier. We both grew up in the slums on earth together. It was just us couple of kids on the streets with nothing to eat and fighting day by day just to survive."

Shepard was Jack's territory now, and somewhere in the twisted view of how she thought relationships work, the biotic needed to ensure all other female prospects were out of the question. Jack eyed Shepard's back, her eyebrow lifting in question. "…so…she's a _friend, _right?"

John swiveled around in his chair, a grin large on his lips as he eyed the tattooed beauty. "She's a very good _friend_, yes. When we were little we both made a promise to each other that'd we'd get out of the shit hole we lived in and find a real home, so when I hit eighteen I joined the military but she…she didn't want anymore violence. I guess the fight just died out in her. I can't exactly say I blame her though, she chose a normal life. She also ended up getting into college and graduating only to go back and pursue her doctorates."

Jack nodded as she listened, "…so what's up with the picture then?"

Shepard swiveled back around to grab the picture and hold it up to Jack, "See that house in the background?"

"Yeah?"

"Well she kept to the promise. She not only got herself out of the hell we lived in, but she got a real home and sent me a holo as soon as it legally became hers."

Jack observed the home for a moment but ended up scoffing at the boring thought of settling down. "So where's she at now?"

John raised a brow at her, "…why?"

"Oh chill the hell out, Shepard. It ain't like I'm gonna find her address and murder her while she sleeps or something."

Shepard squinted, "Well _that_ was reassuring."

Jack growled and threw the apple roughly at Shepard, whom caught it and took a gracious bite. The biotic glared, "I'm just curious."

The commander swallowed lightly and chuckled, "Alright, alright. She's still on earth. I believe she works for Ariake Technologies as a lead designer now. She's made some of the best selling omni-tools to date. I guess that means she's doing rather well for herself. I also hear she's started a well received charity for the slums we grew up in. Adriana's been doing some real good for those kids."

Jack was quiet as she rolled onto her back to stare at the ceiling. "Sounds like a goody good."

Shepard laughed, "She's alright, Jack."

"…what was her address again?" the biotic asked nonchalantly.

"Jaaack," John playfully warned.

"I'M KIDDING, for fuck's sake."

Shepard stood from his seat and made his way to sit beside the length of the biotic's body. "She's not enough woman for me to be honest." The pair stared at each other quietly before John finally reached over to caress Jack's cheek, his thumb moving tenderly over the soft flesh beneath. "You, however…_might_ be enough." He lingered there for a moment before bringing the pads of his fingers down her long neck, past the collar bone, the round of her shoulder, then finally stopping at her bicep. His index finger traced the outline of a deep scar that seemed to wrap itself around the entirety of the biotics right arm. It looked almost as if someone had tightly wound some kind of thin rope around Jack's upper arm and hung her from it for a long time. The scars were deep, like whatever it was that latched to her arm had the time to dig into her skin and settle before being taken out.

Jack grinned, "…I'm prolly _more than you can handle_ too."

Shepard put on a face that made it seem he was thinking really hard, "Well I don't know about that. I think I'd be able to hold my own…"

A mischievous smile crept across the biotic's lips, "Prove it..."

The commander leaned in, placing his body over hers as his lips grazed Jack's, his right hand trailing the side of her torso sending a light shudder throughout her body. John placed a trail of light kisses that started at her mouth and ended with him taking a nip at her earlobe. "Maybe later," he teasingly whispered, quickly getting off the now eager woman and taking his seat back at his paper work.

Jack blinked wide eyed at the sudden lack of contact then propped herself up on her elbows with a severe scowl, "You _dick_." The ex-convict did not hold back when she mercilessly threw a pillow at the back of Shepard's head, sending him into a small fit of laughter. "I'm sorry, Jack! I just really have to get this done before we land on Omega. I don't want to do any of this crap later tonight."

The biotic growled, "Whatever. And you're taking me down right?"

Shepard turned to face his love once again, "Actually, we're only going to be down there around an hour, so I figure it would just be London since we're there for her, and Lawson."

"What! _No fucking way_, I've been cooped up on this ship way to damn long and I wanna wreck somethin'!"

John considered the statement carefully, "I'll tell you what, after this whole Omega ordeal we're going straight for the Citadel via mass relay. We'll get there in no time flat, so as soon as we drop the kid off, I'll give the crew a few hours to do as they please and you n' me will do whatever you want around the Citadel. Deal?"

The biotic eyed the infiltrator curiously, "…no shit?"

Shepard raised his hand in oath, "I swear."

Jack squinted at her commander before letting a wide grin spread on her lips, "You got yourself a deal." The ex-convict then grew silent for a moment, "…and you know…it'll be weird not having the midget around. I kinda' got used to her dragging my ass everywhere to do random shit."

John's face softened as he thought of the sisters. "Yeah it's been an experience having both London and Teagan. I hadn't been around kids in so long that I almost forgot what that childhood innocence was like in all this war. I'm glad we saved Teagan. I think the crew actually needed someone like her around. I also think it was really good for the crew to have a new adult face amongst them for a little while. I'm sure new company is always appreciated on a small crew."

Jack folded her arms behind her head as she relaxed on the bed, "Guess we'll have to say g'bye to them soon…"

Shepard exhaled lightly, "…yeah. Soon, but not just yet." The commander called out into his cabin, "EDI?"

"Commander Shepard?"

"How much longer till Omega?"

"Estimated arrival in five and one half hours."

John looked over to Jack, "We still got time. You should go have a visit while I finish up this work."

Jack pondered her next action for a brief moment, "It's almost time for ol' ink head's meditation session anyways so I guess I'll do that. See ya after you come back."

**xxxxxxx**

**Portside Observation**

**5:50pm**

EDI's voice rang out into the silent room, "Ms. London, we have arrived at Omega and are docking now. Commander Shepard would like to see you at the entrance."

The sniper nodded as she tightened the sheath to the tactical knife around her thigh, and then switched to her opposite thigh to ensure her M-5 Phalanx pistol was firm in place as well. "Alright Teagan, I'm leaving the ship for a little while okay? You stay on board and be good. Tali said she'd like to eat dinner with you today, how about that? You should be nice and go over to eat with her. I'm sure she's expecting you."

Teagan's eyes widened with excitement, "Okay! I'll go down with Tali then but…you're coming back…right?"

London stopped at the doorway and swiveled around on her heel, lifting her pinky in the air.

Teagan beamed, raising her pinky also. The pair stared at each other for a brief moment before clasping their fingers out and towards each other as if making a silent promise. With that, London turned to exit the room. She'd be back.

**xxxxxxx**

**Omega**

**6PM**

Omega: the mined out husk of a metallic asteroid. It was a place to call home to criminals, terrorists, and everything in between. The space station's once elegant design gave way to haphazard expansion by 7.8 million people, all scrabbling factions of every species for the past hundreds of years. Now? The city was one giant slum. There was no central government and if you asked anyone who lived there they'd tell you they couldn't remember a time when there ever was. As far as anyone was concerned there was really only one rule the people of Omega had to follow by: Don't fuck with Aria.

Commander Shepard, Miranda, and London made their way out of the docking hall and into the main sector of the city that housed the top entrance to club Afterlife. "So," began Shepard, "where to first?"

London exhaled heavily, her tone dripping with sarcasm as she pointed at the doors to Afterlife. "Oh I'm _so happy_ to be back. I need to pick something up from my old dressing room."

Shepard nodded his head towards the intended direction with a grin, "Let's get to it then."

"Actually, Commander," Lawson interrupted. "I have to pick up something I ordered this morning from a Salarian salesman I've worked with here. Will that be alright?"

John stopped to eyeball his second, "What the _hell_ did you need to order from here?"

Miranda grinned, "Oh a little of this, a little of that—you know."

Shepard shook his head, "Just make it fast, Lawson. This isn't exactly a pleasure cruise, and I want to get in and get out as quickly as possible."

The XO nodded firmly before walking off in her own direction, "Right away, Commander."

London turned back to Shepard, "Guess it's just you and me then."

John smiled, "For now. Let's go get what you need."

The pair walked down the sector's main room and up the steps that lead into the Afterlife with no problems until a well built human and his even larger krogan partner stepped in front of John and London's path.

Shepard was instantaneously losing his patience with the two bouncers, "Problem?"

London sighed, looking from the Human to the Krogan with annoyance. "Mac, Krull… _Seriously_?"

Mac crossed his arms and grinned, "Seriously. Where the hell ya' been, girl? Flex has blown so many goddamn veins in his head it's a wonder he ain't dead. Your clients ain't happy. And when clients aren't happy…"

The Krogan growled, "Flex ain't happy. And we don't like it when Flex ain't happy."

London rolled her eyes, "Oh please. Who the hell are you two, his mothers? Get the hell out of our way; I need to get something from my dressing room."

Mac laughed out loudly, "Girly, you ain't got a dressing room anymore. You been gone two weeks. You really think you can just come waltzing back in here like you never lost Flex ass loads of chits and nothing ever happened?"

London's look was stern, "I'm not looking to _work_ here anymore. I just want my things so we can leave."

Krull eyeballed the fully armored man next to the exotic dancer, "And who the hell is this?" he laughed hurtfully, "Your new pimp?"

The sniper clenched her fist, trying to keep her anger at bay when Shepard spoke up firmly and almost threateningly, "Commander John Shepard of the Normandy SR2."

Mac's gulp could be visibly seen as his posture suddenly stiffened. The krogan, however, remained as relaxed as ever. "That name doesn't mean shit to me, human. I got orders. The girl doesn't step a foot inside this club until she gives Flex what she owes. And she owes _a lot_."

London looked over to Krull, "How the hell can I give Flex what I owe if I can't get _in_? Just call Flex. Tell him I'm here and that we need to talk. _Now_."

Mac ignored London, but eyed Shepard's severe look and decided it best to agree, "…fine." The man took a few steps away from the others as he put his finger to his ear to speak with the man known as Flex. When the conversation finished he nodded at his krogan partner, allowing London and Shepard to enter into the club. "Flex wants to see you both in his office. He only asks that you not start a commotion in the club. Aria is currently present and isn't fond of gunfire interrupting music that she favors."

London walked pasted the two bouncers with little thought, "Like I said, I'm only here to get my belongings."

Shepard gave the two bouncers a final look over before catching up to the brunette and walking through the final door that led into the club. He had to practically yell into London's ear over the incredibly loud bass of the club's sound system. "So where's his office?"

London pointed over to a door only a few feet away, nodding her head in its direction before walking over and hitting the red button at its center. The door remained closed for a moment before hissing open to reveal Flex sitting at his desk, a thin and shady looking man wearing a cheap looking purple suit.

When the door hissed shut behind the pair, the room suddenly went perfectly quiet. Flex offered a false smile, "Well if it isn't London."

The sniper crossed her arms as she stood in front of the manager's desk, "I see you got another feature installed in your office."

"Audio dampeners. They keep the office quiet and keep me from getting yet another migraine…something I've gotten quite a bit of lately with your absence. Your clients are not happy and that means _I_ don't get paid. So cut the friendly chatter, London… that is…unless you've come to pay me what you owe." The man considered the opportunity he could have, "And hey, it doesn't need to be in chits, baby, I'm a nice guy. I take _all kinds_ of payment, but… you know that." The manager licked his lips as he looked over London's body.

Shepard scowled at the foul little man, "Watch your Goddamned mouth."

Flex growled lightly at the other male presence, but soon calmed himself remembering who it was. "Ah yes…Commander Shepard. I've heard many things about you. You've got quite the reputation among the stars. May I interest you in a drink?"

"No. But you can shut up and listen to London. She's looking for something. You can help."

Flex clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes at the rude guest, "Very well. No need for such language, Commander, I'm only trying to be friendly. What can I do for _you_, London?" he spat sarcastically.

London closed her eyes to compose her usual cool and calm self, "Listen, Flex, I don't want any problems for you. I had left a holo in my dressing room…it was of me and my family from almost seven years ago. It's very important to me, and I would very much like to have it back now."

Flex leaned back into his seat and chuckled, "It's not here and I don't have."

The sniper raised a brow. "Excuse me? I said it's in my dressing room. I just need to go get it."

"London, baby, you don't have a dressing room anymore. After a week of you not showing up, I gave the room to the new girl who calls herself Rose; She's got a spunk to her and managed to scrape up a few expensive cliental in only a few short days—"

London was trying her best to not show emotion on her face, but the holo was the only thing she had left of her family together as a whole. She was beginning to get angry. "—I don't give a shit about the new girl. I just want my holo, Flex."

Flex narrowed his eyes and scowled. He had never seen the brunette this brave before, especially to him. "You didn't let me _fucking finish_, princess, now if you would be so kind as to shut your _used up mouth_ then—"

Before he could even say another word, London had dragged him up to a standing position and was leaning into him, her lips only inches from his. His back was facing Shepard, so John couldn't see the pistol London had pressed against the club manager's crotch. Her voice was unnervingly cold as she whispered, "—Finish that sentence. I _dare_ you."

Flex froze, his eyes widening and his lips sealing shut. London's face was unforgiving and stern. "That's what I thought...little man thinks that just because he's a manager for a rat infested club that he can call all the shots and shoot his mouth off. News flash: it's Omega and you aren't _shit_. So do yourself a favor, if you're going to talk the talk then you better learn to back it up by walking the walk, you coward. Now tell me where my holo is or I pull this trigger. Got it?"

The club manager's chest heaved up and down heavily, his arms naturally going up as if telling the athletic woman he surrendered. Flex had no clue how dangerous London could really be. "Heeeey now don't be like that, baby, you know me—"

The hand that gripped the managers collar shook him threateningly, "That's the problem. I know you but you really don't know _me_— and I'm not your fucking baby, Flex. Now talk." She pressed the pistol harder into his crotch causing a slight whimper to leave his lips. "Fuck, London! I can't think with you pointing that thing at my dick!"

The sniper tightened her grip around the trigger, "I'm losing my patience…really…fast."

The manager twisted his head over his shoulder to glance at Shepard, "Oh come on man! Help me out here!"

Shepard couldn't help but grin at the situation. One part really wanted to let London shoot, the asshole had it coming to him after all. But if she shot off the idiot's organ there'd be no way he could talk. He'd most likely just scream and cry for a few hours. Or he'd bleed to death, and that wouldn't help one bit.

John exhaled lightly, "London, will you allow me to take care of this idiot for you? I'll make him talk and I'll go get the holo back. You should go out and meet Miranda to get the rest of your stuff from your apartment that way we kill two birds with one stone."

London stared into the fearful eyes of her ex-employer and growled, her knee soon replacing the barrel of her pistol against his genitals. As Flex fell to his knees crying out in pain, the sniper bent down to whisper in his ear. "…if you don't give him the holo…I'll be back. And when I do? Well… just pray you don't see me again."

The sniper walked over his crumbled form and stopped in front of Shepard, "I'm sorry. I got out of control. I'm usually more composed it's just…that holo means a lot to me, Shepard."

John put a hand on her shoulder and smiled softly, "Don't apologize. Just go and meet Miranda outside. When you're at your apartment tell Lawson to send me the coordinates. I'll be there later."

London looked over at the still whining manager then back to the commander. "Understood. And…thanks."

"No problem, now get going."

The woman nodded as she left the office, leaving the two men alone. Shepard walked over and grabbed the thin man by the arm, lifting him up to his feet with ease. "You should _really_ get to know the people you hire. You'd be surprised at what some of them are capable of. Now, back to the matter at hand; I'm going to give you two choices. One choice is the easy way and the other choice is the hard way. Pick."

Flex grimaced as he fell back into his manager's chair, grabbing his tenders in pain. "…_easy_, for the love of God, _easy_."

John grinned, "Good call. You might be an idiot, but you're not as stupid as I gave you credit for."

**xxxxxxx**

Lawson had been walking around both floors of the club for a good twenty minutes, dodging pick up lines and offers to dance before giving up on the search and heading back outside. A woman in a rust colored tank top caught her eye. "Bloody hell, there you are. Shepard didn't respond to my message and I was starting to get worried. I was looking all over the club for you. Where's Shepard?"

London rubbed her eyes, "Sorry…we weren't in the club, but rather my old manager's office instead. Shepard is still in there taking care of some business for me. I wasn't being very helpful in the situation, so he asked that we make our way to my apartment and gather my things. He also asked that when we arrive to send him the coordinates so he can meet up with us afterwards."

"What situation?"

"It's nothing serious. Flex wasn't responding well to my…persuasions. So, Shepard thought it'd be best to handle it himself. I'm actually glad he's doing it instead of me. I have a feeling that if I was allowed to continue nothing would have gotten done."

Miranda grinned, "Well if there's anyone who can get the information, it's Shepard." Lawson looked over towards the taxi station. "Shall we?"

"Yes please."

**xxxxxxx**

Miranda contorted her face into one of disgust as she moved herself closer to London, "Dear God, my seat is …_sticky_. And it smells like urine."

London couldn't help but chuckle as she moved over to offer more room for the XO to sit. "Welcome to the Omega Taxi service."

Lawson moved over until she found a suitable and non-sticky spot to sit in. "Did I ever tell you that I'm having such a _wonderful_ time?" she said sarcastically but playfully all the same.

The sniper smiled as she leaned over to speak to the driver, "I'd like to go to Omega sector D, Kodesh district, block seven please." The cab driver nodded and turned on the fare meter.

Miranda looked over to London, "You live in the Kodesh district?"

"Mhm."

"I thought it was shut down a few years ago due to an outbreak of plague."

London shrugged, "I didn't move into the district until all of that business had been settled. The plague really dropped the cost of living in that area so I took up the offer and moved both Teagan and I in. There weren't very many others in the district at the time, so I felt it to be the safest thing to do. Besides, it only seemed to attack those of the dextro-amino variety."

Miranda nodded, "Do you think your belongings will still be there?"

The sniper looked out the window in contemplation, "I'm hoping so. I had already paid my rent for this month, but if people in that block notice no one going in or coming out of the apartment for quite some time they feel the urge to break in and take your stuff. They most likely figure you're dead or something I guess."

Lawson sighed lightly, "I really hate Omega. Filthy place and ever _dirtier_ people."

London looked almost saddened by the comment, as if it were somehow directed towards herself. "I know where I live is not what someone with your standards is used to, but I made the best of my situation and did what I could for my sister. I tried."

Miranda shot her gaze over towards the brunette apologetically, "London that's not what I meant, it's just—"

"It's okay, Miranda. I understand."

The pair rode in the silence the rest of the way.

**xxxxxxx**

**Omega sector D**

**Kodesh District**

**Slums of Block 7**

**6:45PM**

After paying the fare, both women got out of the cab and made their way down an alley and towards London's apartment. The sniper looked over to Lawson, "Did you send the Commander the coordinates?"

Miranda simply nodded as they walked, taking notice of the ruin that Block 7 had become. Nothing seemed to be clean about this place. Bullet holes adorned the walls of buildings, graffiti decorated the streets and signs, fissures left from what seemed to be grenades were blown into the floor, and twisted and dangerously sharp pieces of shrapnel stuck out from the walls. It reeked of metal and rust, of contaminated water, and alcohol. The faint stench of vomit could also be picked up by Lawson's superb sense of smell. The area was mostly still abandoned with the exception of the few apartment tenants, homeless people and gang members that they passed every once in a while.

Miranda silently hoped that _this_ place was not the place London and Teagan were forced to live in, but the worry suddenly became reality as London made a quick right turn to enter a building with a swipe card.

The pair made their way up the stairs to the 2nd out of 8 floors, stopping at room 201 while London fumbled through her pack for her key. Miranda frowned sadly as she simply pushed the door open. There was no lock. "London…"

London sighed, putting her hopes and key card away and watched as the door slowly swung open to reveal her home in shambles.

Miranda placed a hand on London's shoulder, "…do you still want to look?"

The sniper calmed her quivering lip and clenched her jaw. Things were just not looking good for her today, but she put on a brave face as she entered through the doorway. "Yes I do. I promised Teagan I'd bring some of our stuff back."

Miranda nodded, lowering her hand and walking through the entrance. "Then let's pack."

The apartment was small and consisted of two rooms, one of which was smaller than the other. The bigger room was the living space which housed the bed, dresser, stove and sitting area all in one. The smaller room held the shower, toilet, and an extremely small sink, all within a foot and a half from each other.

London took off her pack and tossed it on the bed, checking the dresser to see if any of their clothes remained. "That's…weird."

Miranda had just finished turning a sitting chair right-side-up when she looked over, eyebrow quirked, "What's weird."

London stuffed what little clothes she had into her pack, doing the same with Teagan's dressing drawer afterwards. "…all of our clothes are still here."

Lawson looked around the room, "Honestly the place seems like one big giant mess now, but are you actually missing anything?"

The brunette thought for a moment before looking under her bed and catching view of her shoebox. She reached in and brought the small box out, opening its lid to view its contents. She had taken two books from her mother's collection the day she left their home, two books that were probably worth more than ten years worth of rent. One was a book of poetry, and the other was a very old child's book called, 'Winnie the Pooh'. However, not only were the books still there, but the box still held her savings account credit chit. London quickly threw the three belongings into her backpack with a questioning look.

Miranda used her biotics to toss a broken table to the side, a grin coming to her lips as she realized what was beneath. The XO reached down to grab a small purple stuffed octopus with two buttons for eyes. "I assume this is Mr. Wiggles?"

London's gaze softened as she saw the familiar toy, "It is. Here, let me pack it."

Miranda tossed the stuffed toy towards the sniper who caught it and gracefully placed it in her bag, shutting it closed then placing it on her back. London spoke up softly afterwards, "Miranda…"

Lawson's eyes looked around the damaged room as she replied, "London?"

"…if my home was broken into, why didn't they take anything. My books, my savings credit chit, our clothes…all of it still here. My qitan is broken, but nothing is missing."

Miranda suddenly looked over at London sharply. "Nothing?"

The sniper nodded once firmly. "Nothing."

Miranda's body snapped into defensive mode. "The intruders weren't looking for just anything. They were here for something specific."

London's eyes snapped to look into Miranda's, "…Teagan."

Lawson shook her head, "The suns don't leave work this messy. It can't be Teagan because no one else but that Blue Suns knows what she looks like. Unless they're looking for…"

London reached to her hip to un-holster her pistol, eyes widening. "…me."

Miranda reached for her submachine gun right as a loud crashing noise came through the tiny second story window. Lawson was quick to yell out an order, "Flash grenade! Shield your eyes!"

**xxxxxxx**

"Listen, Rose was a good girl, Commander. She knew the picture was probably important to the dancer she replaced so she never touched it. She left it on the dresser until London came back to pick it up."

"So where is it now, Flex?"

"Alright here's the thing. One night Rose gets asked by some high rolling merc to give him a private dance. She takes him down to London's old room and does her business. The guy apparently took notice of the picture and came straight to me asking to buy it off. He offered two hundred credits up front for the damn thing. Since London never came back and since my pockets were hurting because of it…I took the deal. She owed me big. I took the credits and gave him the holo."

John leaned in, "Wait. What merc?"

Flex shrugged, "I don't know, I never got the name. But he said the man holding the baby in the holo was an old friend of his and that they went way back. Who am I to deny good memories to the guy, eh?"

Shepard got up quickly, "The merc said he knew London's father?"

"Old friends, yeah."

"Son of a bitch, they know what she looks like!" John bolted out of the office and club, swiftly making his way towards the cab station.

**xxxxxxx**

The faint sounds of screaming patrons could be heard from within the small apartment as stray automatic rifle rounds ricocheted through the streets below. After the still slightly blurry vision and ear splitting ringing in their ears subsided, London noticed Miranda's back was against a wall. The sniper moved along the floor quickly to snatch the XO's wrist and yank her down onto the ground to where they were both laying flat. Miranda growled, "London—"

"We know you're in there," A man with a thick Spanish accent yelled out in a singsong manner through the commotion. "If you and your little friend disarm yourselves and come out, we'll resolve this peacefully. Me and my four Krogan partners here will not harm you. We just want to know where the girl is, London."

When there was no reply, the irritated mercenary sprayed a few bullets out at the second story wall with little regard to any life within the building. "I SAID COME OUT."

Lawson had covered her head during the onslaught of fire then raised her face to meet London's. "Well there's good news and bad news now."

London wiped the white dust that shook loose from the ceiling away from her mouth, "…what could possibly be good?"

"The human can be easy taken out, and the rest of his group is Krogan—which means they'll have no biotics available at their disposal."

The sniper raised a brow, "And the bad news is?"

Miranda grinned, "_They're Krogan_. They'll more than likely have not only great armor, but extra armor AND biotic shield effects…and let's not forget to mention the shotguns, and that they're all muscle."

London rolled her eyes, "Yes, let's not forget about the shotguns and muscles."

An angry yell followed by another spray of bullets bombarded London's wall from the outside, causing London to speak hastily. "The walls aren't thick enough to offer protection from those rounds. We need to stay flat and we need to find a way out of this building _now_. There are families here and I won't be responsible for any child's or parent's death today."

Miranda quickly considered their options, "Is there an alternative exit to this building?"

"There's no exit from the top floor, so besides the front entrance the only other exit is on the first floor through the back door," London responded.

"They might have that covered too, but it's worth a shot to at least get to a vantage point." Miranda quickly pressed her earpiece, "Shepard, come in Shepard, this is Lawson. London and I are under attack from an unknown group of mercenaries, we need assistance. Be cautioned. The leader is commanding several heavily armored krogan."

John returned the call immediately, "I'm already on my way, you two. Keep a clear head and don't do anything reckless. Close combat against four krogan is suicide. Stay at range and do _not_ let them charge." Shepard then hurriedly called out to the sniper through Miranda's omni-tool, "London, Flex sold your family holograph to a merc who supposedly knew your father. Sit tight, I'll be there soon."

Before London or Miranda could speak, something else flew into the room via window. It was a small disc-like container that beeped quickly and blinked red, an irritated voice ringing from bellow soon after, "That ought to give you incentive to leave that damn room."

The sniper's eyes widened, "bomb…Bomb...BOMB."

As quickly as their legs could manage the XO and the sniper rose to their feet and flew out the door, a loud explosion soon blazing bright yellows and brilliant reds behind them. The shockwave sent the pair tumbling down the steps to the first level, both landing on their back with a loud "Oof!"

Lawson groaned but was quick to get up from the blast, dragging the other woman up behind her. "We have to move _now_. Go!"

London could feel that her ankle had twisted, but said nothing of it as she ran behind the operative out the back exit only to be greeted by one of the opposing krogan who had separated from his team to cover the back door. Miranda's action was instantaneous, "Overloading his shield!" A flicker of dark biotic mass crackled from her finger tips as a heavy explosion burned his shield down to near obsolete, causing the Krogan to falter backwards then scream as he fired his shotgun in retaliation. London waited under cover until the moment presented itself to fire back while he reloaded. The sniper took out her laser-sighted pistol and fired rapidly right in between the krogan's eyes, consuming her whole thermal clip and causing his first shield to begin flickering. Miranda took the same opportunity to unload her Locust on the mercenary, his shield finally succumbing to the onslaught of fire and crackling away. "THEY'RE BACK HERE!" He called out hurriedly, hoping his backup would arrive before they burned through his last armor shield.

The krogan growled loudly as he hunched over in a predatory fashion, the toes of his right foot digging into the ground, his eyes dead set on Miranda as he prepared to launch himself towards her.

"Oh no you don't!" Lawson didn't give him the chance to charge as she extended her hand once more and spat "Using heavy warp!" London ducked behind cover to reload her pistol as a bright blue ball of energy crashed into the Krogan, a loud howl of pain leaving his lips as his armor barrier sent shocks throughout his body. When she noticed the yellow tinted barrier disappear, it only took one well aimed shot to put the krogan down. London set her laser sight right on the krogan's left eye, firmly pulling the trigger and letting the bullet take care of the rest. The krogan fell lifeless onto the dirty streets of Kodesh.

Miranda inhaled deeply to catch her breath before calling out to London, "Let's move."

"—not so fast ladies." The Spanish voice called out to them from a far. "Thought you got away did you? Sorry to say we sent the little krogan by himself on purpose. We get paid more when it's only split four ways. Plus, he was the new guy. No one likes the new guy."

Lawson grinned, "Then I'll guess your partners will be happy to know the amount only increases if it's split by three."

The human mercenary raised a brow, "Come again?"

Before he could say another word Lawson raised her submachine gun and shot him square between the eyes. "…you guys must be really new at this whole merc thing, you're absolutely _terrible_."

The three krogan stared down at their dead commander dumbfounded momentarily, giving Lawson and London the chance to take cover behind the crumbling walls of an abandoned building.

"Yeah okay, Miranda, let's add insult to injury and piss the three little krogan off even more shall we?"

The operative grinned wickedly as she released a steaming thermal clip and reloaded her gun. With a little groan she quickly stood up again and released another heavy overload on the largest krogan, knocking his shield down to a bare minimum. The trio of mercenaries turned their attention towards the women's location. The largest one pounded his fists together while screaming. "Now we do this _our_ way." All three krogans simultaneously charged, shattering the two women's makeshift cover and tossing Miranda aside with as much grace as a rag doll, causing her to land in a disheveled heap on the dirty ground.

As two of the krogan gathered around Lawson's crumpled form, the third one picked up the sniper and held her in a death squeeze. "I have orders to bring you in alive. They just never specified in what condition, human."

London could feel the air being constricted out of her, so she did the only thing she could do that didn't require her arms. With as much force as she could muster she brought the tip of her boot to hit the krogan square in the quads and her forehead to hit the krogan right on the crest, causing a new gash to form on her own brow in the process. However, given he still had armor the two taps were only enough for him to loosen his grip and stumble backwards. It was the opening the sniper needed to grab her tactical knife from her thigh and shove it upwards under his jaw and into his head. The krogan never even got the chance to scream.

The pair crumbled to the ground and London took a large inhale of air, reaching up to retrieve her knife in the process and then wiping away the blood that had trickled down her forehead and into her eyes. Able to see again the brunette frantically searched around the area for Miranda, only to find her being bombarded with heavy kicks and obscene remarks on the far end. The operative's shields were flickering and fading quickly. London knew that if she did not act soon, it would only be a matter of seconds before Miranda's defenses were gone completely, giving the Krogan the opportunity to finish Lawson off with a single shotgun blow.

London got to her feet quickly and sprinted towards the larger krogan with a weaker shield. Without warning she leapt onto his back and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing both of her middle and ring fingers into the squishy substance of his eyeballs. "Miranda, get up! Get to cover _now_!"

The enormous krogan wailed in pain as he staggered, dropping his gun and slashing the air with both hands before taking hold of the sniper's wrist and, with as much force as any krogan processed, tossed her away—a loud popping sound coming from London's shoulder as she was ripped from the mercenary's back.

The younger krogan ducked in order to avoid the onslaught of sharp krogan claws, giving Lawson the chance to instantly use her throw ability on him, and her heavy warp ability once more on the now blind krogan. The blast sent the already weak mercenary into shock as the biotic field enveloped his body and electrocuted his senses. The XO grabbed her hip mounted hand cannon and blasted a hole right through the krogan's open mouth.

The dead mercenary landed beside Lawson as she fought to catch her breath and regain her strength, "Lon…London," she called out weakly from her position, "London, are you alright?"

London called out tiredly from a short distance away as she somehow managed to gather her reserved strength and get herself to her feet. "I think I have a concussion…and a dislocated shoulder, but…I'm alright. You?"

Miranda had finally managed to get into a sitting position and wiped off her bloody lip, eventually standing up and wincing in the process. "Perfect."

The pair weakly walked towards one another with a smug look in their eyes. _Krogan-shmogan_.

"Lawson this is Shepard, I'm coming in down the alleyway!" her comms system rang in.

Miranda smiled faintly, "Thanks for joining the party. You were a little late so you didn't get to see us cut the cake though." Then something suddenly caught the operative's attention from over the brunette's shoulder. The last remaining krogan mercenary the operative had thrown hadn't stayed down or retreated and now his sights were aimed at London as he began to charge.

London was chuckling at the joke when Miranda shoved the sniper to the side aggressively, taking the sudden full on force of a healthy and very pissed off krogan at the peak of his charge. The sniper hit the ground then instantly snapped her head up to witness the operative get slammed against a far wall with enough force to snap a tree in half.

"MIRANDA," the brunette managed to scream as she weakly threw her tactical knife towards the krogan only to witness it bounce of his thick armor. She didn't care; she needed to get the krogan's attention off the operative and onto her self.

John could hear his second in command's name echo through the alley and he willed his legs to pump faster, his mattock heavy rifle loaded and ready to fire on sight.

The krogan released a blood thirsty roar as he walked up to the weak sniper that laid on the ground and backhanded her so hard London could have sworn she felt her jaw break. "I've had enough of your games, human! We leave NOW." Thick skinned fingers wrapped themselves around the straps of London's tank top and began to drag her away towards a hovercraft.

When Shepard arrived at the scene he noticed Lawson leaning against the wall holding her mid section to his right and a krogan dragging London away towards a hover car with dark tinted windows to his left. The commander switched to his sniper rifle and unloaded his entire heat sink into the mercenary, watching as his shields eventually gave way to the bullets, the krogan soon falling to the ground with multiple holes perforating his body. London weakly got to her feet as she stumbled her way over to John, "Miranda…I think she's hurt."

Shepard ran over towards his second in command, "Lawson, look at me. We're getting you out of here. What hurts?"

Miranda chuckled, a trickle of deep red blood falling from the corner of her mouth and down her chin. She lowered her hands, finally showing the wound she had been hiding on her abdomen. Lawson wasn't leaning against the wall—she had been impaled on it. A short, thin sheet of protruding metal was sticking out from the structure when Lawson had been slammed against it. "It's o-only a flesh wound, C-commander."

London's eyes widened as she shook her head, "Oh no…"

Shepard slathered on the medi-gel as he spat an order into his comms system that linked to the Normandy. "Joker, Miranda is down. I repeat Miranda is down! Get Chakwas and Mordin ready to administer care as soon as we load!"

The brunette looked over Miranda's half-lidded eyes, "Don't you dare close your eyes, you hear me?"

Miranda suddenly cried out in pain as Shepard slid a hand behind her body, easing the operative forward so he could remove her from the wall. "London, get ready to help hold her."

The sniper nodded quickly as Shepard pulled Lawson free. Miranda shrieked as a single tear ran down her cheek, London soon after taking the raven haired beauty into her arms firmly as the operative fell forward, not giving a damn if her own dislocated shoulder was screaming in protest. "I have you," London reassured, "…I have you."

Shepard wrapped one of the operative's arms around his neck as he helped take her back towards the cab he had forcefully possessed, Miranda coughing out large amounts of blood on the way.

When they had finally arrived at the cab London took a seat in the back while Shepard gently laid Miranda down in the back seat as well, the raven colored hair spilling over London's lap. "Add pressure to her wound and watch her," Shepard barked, "If the bleeding gets worse add another application of medi-gel. Chakwas and Mordin will be waiting as soon as we arrive."

The sniper nodded furiously, "Understood."

Shepard was trying to be as gentle as he could while flying well over ninety miles per hour, gentle cries of pain and loud gasps coming from the rear seat.

London gently caressed the operative's cheek to calm her down, "…what the hell were you thinking, hmm?" she asked softly.

Miranda tried her best to lift the corner of her lip in a grin, "We're…a…_unit, re…reme…_" the operative gasped out loudly, her face contorting in fear and confusion, "…I can't b-b…breathe…I think my lu..lun…"

London's eyes widened as she called out to Shepard, "Shepard she—"

"Yeah I heard her! HOLD ON."

As the cab jolted forward, Miranda could faintly make out the echo of her name being called out by the woman who hovered above her.

However…silence soon became the only thing Lawson could hear as her vision gave way to the welcoming blackness.

[End16: City of Filth]


	17. Thinking of You

_Disclaimer: The Mass Effect Universe and everything in it belongs to BioWare. I only lay claim to London and Teagan._

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[Chapter Seventeen: Thinking of You]

**[Normandy Vessel/ Deck Three/ Med Bay/ 8pm]**

Mordin was working frantically over Miranda's broken body alongside Dr. Chakwas who was yelling out quick commands to the few other members of the Normandy's medical staff. "The patient's chest and abdomen are now open preventing usage of paddles. Subject is unconscious with dangerously low blood pressure. Disagreement between Operative Lawson's oxygen delivery towards the cells in her body is probable and shock may occur—we cannot let this happen, so watch the monitors and her oxygen intake closely," Helen looked over at her small group of assistants severely, "and you _will_ double check with me before administering any kind of fluid into her I.V."

"Yes ma'am!" The assistants all responded in unison, hastily returning to their duties.

Dr. Solus frowned, his fingers quickly and adroitly working to stop the bleeding in Miranda's abdomen using a small pencil-sized rod that produced electricity to cauterize the open blood vessels, "Fiber optics indicates intestinal bleeding. CT scan indicates abdominal bleeding, retroperitoneal bleeding, and a pierced lung." The salarian inhaled sharply, "Diaphragm intact, but total organ damage severe. Percentage of survival low."

While Mordin worked on the damage to Miranda's abdomen, Helen had been working on the damage in her chest. Miranda's lung had been pierced causing gas and traces of fluid to collect in the pleural cavity and her lung to collapse. "Perhaps, but I do believe she'll make it through if I can just repair this lung and you finish closing those up those cuts. Miranda's genetics are far superior to the average humans. I'm hoping that small upper hand will be the determining factor in her survival."

London, Jacob, and Shepard all paced around the outside of the medical bay, observing through the large glass window as the medical team attempted to save Lawson's life.

Jacob placed a hand onto the glass and pressed against it firmly, "Come on, wonder woman…hang in there."

A moment later Susan, one of Helen's medical assistants, came out to get the sniper, placing a hand gently on London's not hurting shoulder, "Ma'am let's get your shoulder and those abrasions looked at. Even from over there I can tell it's dislocated."

London scowled as she shrugged off the woman's hand, "I'm fine. What are you even doing over here? Get back in there and help Miranda."

Susan shook her head, "Ma'am we really need to check that shoulder and do proper scans on—"

The sniper gave Susan a severe look, "I said I'm fine. Miranda needs all the help she can get right now. So please just," She clenched her jaw tightly, taking a moment to calm herself. It didn't work. London's eyes finally gave way for emotion. Frustration, sorrow, and guilt flooding the light gray orbs, "…help _her_. I'll go in for a check up as soon as she's okay, alright? I promise. I'll do whatever it is that needs to get done just _please_…help _her_."

Shepard exhaled lightly, placing a reassuring hand on London's back. "London, Mordin and Helen are already doing all they—"

London turned onto Shepard, her eyes and facial expression betraying a vulnerability he had never seen in her before, "—she saved me, Shepard. What if the difference between her life and death is the helping hands of one person? I _owe_ her at least that."

The commander looked over the sniper thoughtfully as he considered her words. He didn't know if the extra pair of hands would make a difference in Miranda's recovery, but he was certain they couldn't hurt the Normandy's second in command's chances of surviving. "…are you sure you can make it without a check up at least for a little while? That gash looks pretty bad and your shoulder isn't looking too good either."

London nodded, being sure to not show the slightest hint of the pain and discomfort that she felt in every inch of her body. "I've had worse. I can hardly feel a thing."

John looked skeptically over her wounds just one more time, "Are you _sure_?"

"Yes, I am positive."

Susan shook her head at the commander, "Sir, you can't be suggesting we just overlook her injuries? She's hurt."

Shepard looked over at the assistant, "She said she can handle it for a little while. Now get in there and help Chakwas and Solus."

Though disagreeing with the commander, Susan nodded her head and turned to head back into the medical bay, "Aye aye, Commander."

"Thank you, Shepard." London sighed heavily in relief as she leaned in a little closer to medical bay's window, intently observing all details occurring inside.

Mordin had just finished cauterizing all the smaller blood vessels and was already expertly closing the abdomen, leaving only a paper thin and very red cut to mar Miranda's perfectly toned stomach. "Abdomen successfully repaired," the salarian stated matter-of-factly.

However, just as that hopeful statement was issued, a monitor behind the pair of doctors started beeping uncontrollably. One of the assistant's quickly turned to look at Dr. Chakwas, "Ma'am, the scan is indicating a large amount of fluid and pressure building inside her collapsed lung."

Mordin turned his gaze onto Helen, "Must relieve pressure. Odds of patient going into shock or flat lining raising dramatically."

Helen frowned as she worked quickly, "Come on Miranda stay with me, my dear."

The assistant turned to look at the monitor, "Heart rate is increasing."

London turned to look at Shepard with worried eyes before turning back to watch, "What's going on?"

Shepard crossed his arms as he watched from the outside, "Come on, Miranda, come on."

"Ma'am heart rate is continuing to rise!"

Chakwas barked an order out at the closest assistant as Miranda's body began to quake softly. "She's going into shock! I'm going to have to drain and release the pressure _now_!"

Lawson's gently twitching body was becoming a violently convulsing nightmare as Mordin reached to hold Miranda's right side, "Operation impossible while patient is moving! Outcome of incorrect incision could prove disastrous!"

Chakwas replied hastily, "We don't have a choice! She's already got a massive amount of sedative in her, and if her heart stops we can't use the emergency paddles!"

Mordin inhaled deeply, "Suggestion?"

The assistant spoke up loudly, "Ma'am her body can't take much more stress!"

Jacob was mumbling softly to the all the deities he could think of while London pressed her hands firmly against the glass window, her voice small and weak. "No…nonono…"

"I know, damn it!" Chakwas spat, "Hold her down!"

All of the assistants, including Mordin tried their best at holding the convulsing woman while Chakwas began the delicate procedure.

"Keep her steady!" A bead of sweat rolled off Helen's forehead as she worked, "Decompressing tension in the pneumothorax." Chakwas expertly and immediately inserted a needle thoracostomy with mind blowing precision. "Draining fluid." Helen's eyes stared intensely at the incision she created, her practiced fingers moving delicately and with purpose. "Inserting chest tube."

The assistant eyes gazed over the monitors, his tone both impressed and shocked, "Stress level …is decreasing dramatically and heart rate has dropped! The fluid in her lungs is now at a bare minimum and pressure has been released. You did it ma'am!"

The entire medical team seemed to release a large exhale at the exact same moment. Dr. Solus nodded firmly, "Outstanding job, Dr. Chakwas. Patient operation a success."

Chakwas placed her tools aside and took off her gloves. She took a moment to breathe before resting a hand on the sleeping operative's forehead. "The rest is up to her now."

Mordin nodded as he turned his attention to the terminal, typing away at a new medical report.

Helen rubbed her neck tiredly, "Susan, finish closing her up—delicately please. The tube needs to remain in until the cut in the lining of her lung heals. Administer all proper medications for our recovering patient as well as a healthy dose of our supply of Cerberus tissue regeneration fluids to aid in the recovery. They should be in the locked cabinet in my office. I figure if it worked with bringing Shepard's body back to life—they should work wonders on a simple deflated lung. I need…to step out for a moment."

The assistant nodded firmly, "Yes ma'am."

Jacob, London, and Shepard all waited eagerly outside the medical station for the news Chakwas had to bring. "Okay you three, you can breathe easy now."

London closed her eyes and thanked whatever God was watching over them that day before opening her lips to speak, "So she's okay?"

"She's in recovery now, my dear. All vitals are once again looking strong. If our medications do what they're supposed to, and Miranda's superb white and red blood cells act accordingly… she should be up within a week in all honesty—maybe half a month at most."

Shepard grinned as he observed Miranda from the window, "Now _that's_ a scary woman. Beat her, shoot at her, throw harbinger at her, and impale her—there's just no keeping Lawson down."

Jacob exhaled heavily in relief, "Glad she's on our side, hmm?"

John patted the officer on the back in good gesture, "You alright?"

"Yeah, man—Commander Shepard. Just…I'm glad she's okay. I should get back to Kasumi though. She wanted to be here but figured between the entire medical staff running around and the three of us standing here that there'd be enough bodies crowding the halls. I need to go tell her that everything is okay," Jacob paused as he double checked with Chakwas as a safety net, "…everything _is_ okay…right?"

Helen nodded with a tired smile, "Yes, Jacob. Everything is just fine."

With a last and thankful nod, Jacob made his way to the elevator and headed back up towards deck two.

Shepard wrapped an arm around Helen's shoulder, hugging his old friend to himself tightly. "You did great, Helen."

The English woman wrapped an arm around John's lower waist and patted his side gently, "I might be an old bird, but do I still know my way around a complicated procedure or what?"

"You sure as hell do. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to head up to deck two and set course to the nearest mass relay. Tomorrow morning we'll be landing on the Citadel to drop off Teagan. Then…we'll discuss the happenings of today and go from there."

London rubbed her eyes roughly; suddenly remembering she still had to finish packing Teagan for school. The events of today had turned everything into such a blur that she'd momentarily overlooked her duties as guardian. "…I need to go get Tee—"

Chakwas turned her attention to the sniper now that things had calmed down, "Oh no my dear, I've been doing this a long time and I can tell when someone's body is hurting. Let's go in now and have that check up shall we?"

Shepard grinned and gave Chakwas one last squeeze before heading off to complete his task.

London finally gave in with soft sigh, nodding her head towards the older woman then following her through the doors of the med bay.

The medical bay was now quiet with the exception of the soft beeps and hums of the machines that monitored Miranda's state of being. London sat on a bed beside Lawson, her gray eyes sweeping over the serene look on the operative's face. Chakwas noticed her look and smiled, "Don't worry, she'll be alright. Let's fix _you_ now."

London could only offer a feeble nod in acceptance as Chakwas moved up to stand in front of the brunette. "That blood isn't yours is it?" Helen asked as she caught sight of the sniper's dirty tank top, the front of which was soaked in blood.

"It's…" London looked over to Miranda once more, causing Chakwas to nod softly. "Let's take that off and get you over to that machine right over there."

The brunette eyed the equipment Helen had motioned to. It was huge and had some sort of adjustable and movable opening. "What…is that?"

"It's called a 'setter'. It's mostly used for dislocations, and ensures that the bones are 'set' properly. It's very good at its job and the patient usually heals back up to a full one hundred percent with little to no discomfort in the future after it heals."

Once London was standing in front of it, she gave a questioning brow to Helen. "What do I have to do?"

"My dear, I will not lie to you and say it doesn't hurt. The opening you see there adjusts to the size of what is placed within and calculates the angle and pressure needed to reset the dislocation properly."

"So in other words…I stick my arm in and…"

Chakwas smiled sympathetically, "It's cushioned in the inside. You'll feel your arm become surrounded by a soft material, and then you'll feel intense pressure, suction, followed by a quick and firm pull, then the popping and resetting of your shoulder coming only fractions of a second later."

London clenched her jaw and winced as she lifted her arm to insert it into the black hole. She could hear the loud whirring and feel as the machine adjusted to the thickness and length of her arm. It hurt just to have it in the damn thing, but the brunette kept silent and simply watched as Dr. Chakwas monitored its analysis. "…I'm ready, Dr. Chakwas."

Within a few more moments London could feel the pressure she had been warned about around her arm, her shoulder aching and screaming in protest. London was bracing herself, her breath going in and out shakily but silently. It was only seconds later when the sudden pull caused the sniper to scream out in agony, the machine holding her arm still for a minute more before releasing and shutting down. The brunette clenched her teeth and closed her eyes, forcing her body to calm as she let her incredibly sore arm fall lightly to her side.

Chakwas rushed back up to her patient, "It will be sore for a while, but I'll give you some low dose pain killers to help numb it while it heals. Within three weeks you'll be good as new."

London chuckled, "Miranda gets impaled and needs one or two weeks…I dislocate my arm and bump my head and get three? Tell me how that makes sense."

Chakwas led the young woman to sit back into a seat while she treated the woman's forehead next, "Well, Miranda has an advanced genetic makeup. Plus, we cheated and used a special medication to aid in her healing process— just to be safe."

The sniper agreed quickly, "Better to be safe than to be sorry."

"By the way, once this heals a little bit more I'll be able to remove the scar that it'll leave behind. Would you like that?"

London thought deeply about the question. She wouldn't be staying with the Normandy after Teagan left, so she thought it best to make sure at least her looks were still decent if she ever had to resort to dancing again. She prayed to any deity that was listening and wished instantly that the life she'd have to live without her sister never put her in that position again, but like she said…better safe than sorry. "Yes, ma'am. I'd like that very much."

**xxxxxxx**

**[Commander's Cabin/10PM]**

"In the gut and in the breathers? Did the cheerleader make it?" Jack asked offhandedly as she leaned against a bundle of pillows on the bed.

John slid into the covers beside the biotic and gave a loud groan as he relaxed into the softness of his mattress. "Don't sound too worried there, Jack," Shepard teased, "and yeah she made it just fine. Chakwas and Mordin are excellent at their jobs."

"Arm," Jack suddenly stated flatly as the commander settled into bed beside her. John grinned and did as commanded, lifting his arm so the biotic could slide her way in and rest her head on his bare chest.

"All of this business with London makes me think though, Jack."

The ex-convict yawned lightly as the tip of her index finger traced random shapes on his stomach. "…'bout?"

"Family, friends, loved ones…I don't know."

Jack raised her eyes to look over John's face, "…ain't following, Shepard."

John shrugged, "I guess it's just…seeing how London is so protective of Teagan…and," Shepard thought back to London's treatment of Flex, "Jesus, you should have seen the fire in her eyes over a simple holo of her family, Jack. I guess it made me think about my situation. What we do is dangerous—real dangerous… and one day if we live through everything the universe throws at us…I want more to look back on than just deep scars and sore old bones. Memories are important. They keep us on the straight and narrow…remind us what we're fighting for. I should do a better job of keeping them."

Jack yawned once more loudly, "Honestly it just sounds like you're bitchin' about takin' more pictures."

John laughed softly, wrapping his arms around the biotic in a tight squeeze. "Yeah, I guess that _is_ what I'm _bitching_ about."

The biotic rolled her eyes, "Swear to God, Shepard. You give such long ass speeches to say what can be said in three words."

"…Maybe, buuuut…about that picture…what do you say?" John nudged the woman playfully in his arms.

The biotic eyeballed him, "What do you mean?"

John smiled, "When I'm eighty years old, one of the things I'd like to remember in its present condition…is you and me. You and me with no armor, no work attire—just us as we are now in our night clothes after a bath. So let's do it. Let's take a holo together."

Jack leaned back with a raised brow, "You can't be fuckin' serious."

"Dead serious."

"Now?"

"Yeah now!"

"We're in bed."

"So we'll take it in bed."

"Too tired."

"Jack, we're making a holo."

"Like hell we are."

"Oh yes we are."

"I don't do pictures or vids."

"Well you're doing one now!" Shepard beamed as he got up from the bed and removed Jack from his arms. The biotic glared at the commander as he retrieved the video capturing holo and launched himself back into bed next to her. With a few quick strokes John had opened a new file then turned to meet the ex-convicts gaze. The smile on his face was in high spirits and just for her, causing the tattooed woman to growl in annoyance, "Oh hell no, Shepard."

"Aw come on, Jack!" he said happily, pressing the record button and holding the holo up in front of the pair to capture the moment.

Jack's eyes widened as the commander did so, covering her face with one hand and trying her best to yank the holo away from Shepard with the other. "Shepard, cut the crap!"

John laughed lightly. His arms length vastly superior to the biotics so there was no way Jack could disarm him of the holo. Smoothly he wrapped an arm around the woman next to him in an attempt to sooth her. Jack growled and would have none of it. She nudged him away, still trying to hide her face from the video while fighting off the mushy man beside her.

"Jack it's not so bad! Here…just give me a kiss for the camera and I'll shut it off."

It was time for payback. Jack dropped her hand and looked Shepard dead in the eye. "Fine. Come here."

John raised an eyebrow at her sudden change of demeanor but smiled goofily as he leaned in.

Jack eyed the holo, "Is it recording?"

Shepard only nodded as he leaned in closer to his victory kiss. "It's recording."

"Good." Jack met Shepard's lips with her own. The kiss began tenderly, but soon Shepard could feel a pain shoot momentarily through his lower lip. Jack had quickly taken the small, plush bit of flesh in between her teeth and pulled the lip back to where it wasn't entirely too painful but still definitely not pleasurable.

"Ow…OW…" he tried to pull away but Jack wasn't letting up. He winced. "Jack…erum..wut arr oo ooing?"

Jack was careful not to bite down on the softness of the lip to harshly as she spoke back through her teeth, "…arr oo still reoording?"

"…Yess…"

Jack bit the lip harder, "I sed, Are oo _still_ reoording?"

"Owowowow…" Shepard got her implication instantly, finally giving in and extending the recording device over to his girlfriend. "Heer… Cheeturr."

Jack grinned as she took the holo, opening her mouth and letting Shepard's lip flop back into its normal position. The commander rubbed the sore lip before looking the biotic over with squinted eyes. "Using your charms to lure me into a trap is just cold, Jack."

When there wasn't a response the commander shrugged in defeat, "…I just wanted something to have that belonged to only us…you know?"

Jack clenched her jaw as she looked upon the hurt face of John. She never had to deal with someone like the commander before….someone that cared about crap like pictures and memories…someone who wanted actual evidence that they were together in a relationship… someone who wasn't ashamed of her but that wanted to show her off.

"Ugh…" Jack groaned, rolling her eyes and flipping the holo to photo mode. She extended her arm then leaned in to place the softest and most meaningful of kisses onto Shepard's cheek, closing her eyes as she did so and pressing the 'capture' option.

John looked her over with astonishment as Jack tossed the commander the holograph then flipped over to lay on her side and facing away from Shepard.

He looked down at the captured image and smiled. Jack might have been a big pain in the ass sometimes, but good God did he love her. "Jack—"

The biotic made obviously fake and very loud snoring sounds in response.

John laughed loudly, placing the new holograph on his nightstand then leaning over to wrap an arm around the woman and settle into his spot of rest for the night. But before he allowed sleep to come, John tilted his head to kiss the biotic at the nape of her neck. "Thank you…"

**xxxxxxx**

**[Portside Observation/10:35PM]**

"Are you all packed, Tee?"

The little biotic nodded sadly at her older sister as she sat at the edge of her bed, "I'm all packed…"

London sat down near the child and rubbed her back in small, soft circles. "What's the matter, pun'kin?"

Teagan's lower lip quivered lightly, "…I'm scared about going to school. What if the other kids don't like me? A-and who will you play with after work now? And if you get sick or—"

"Teaaagan," London warned delicately, "you're getting ahead of yourself."

The child shook her head quickly, "Am not! When I tried to make friends with the kids on Omega they always ended up being mean to me a-and remember when that girl tried to take Mr. Wiggles from me? She was so mad at me—and I didn't even know why! I got scared and…"

"…you burned her. I remember, sweetie. That wasn't your fault. She shouldn't have been so aggressive towards you. The children on Omega, pun'kin, they're…well life is very different for everyone there. It's tough, and a lot of the people—sometimes even the children learn to think in not so nice ways. But the place where your school is…it's really nice. Miranda has let me use her terminal several times to research the facility and I can think of no better school for you to attend now that I know about it. "

London frowned at the thought of her severely injured friend before returning to the conversation in front of her, "…and if you're worried about hurting the other children, then don't. I know you wouldn't hurt any of them."

Teagan twiddled her thumbs together, "…but how do you know?"

The older sister grinned encouragingly, "Well you've been attending each and every one of Justicar Samara's meditation sessions, haven't you?"

The child nodded furiously, "I have."

"What other kid do you know of that has personally had a Justicar mentor them? That's a big upper hand, little one. And plus, you said it yourself—you don't glow when you get scared anymore."

"I know but what if—"

"Tee, I trust and believe in you."

Teagan could only nod weakly and turn her saddened eyes to the floor. London noticed immediately and placed a finger under the child's tiny chin, lifting and forcing her younger sister to look her in the eye. "…what's really bothering you, Teagan?"

The little biotic shook her head, "…Nothin'."

London ran her slender fingers through a short length of Teagan's beautiful, long brown hair. "…well if you're not in the mood for talking, then I guess Mr. Wiggles will just have to be lonely tonight."

The little girl's eyes widened, "You found him!"

London laughed, "I did—well technically Ms. Lawson found him but…he's here with you non-the-less."

"Where!" she looked around the room frantically, "Where is he!"

The sniper pointed at the dirty pack in the corner of the room, "My bag."

Teagan hopped up off the bed eagerly and ran to the pack. Her little fingers opened the latch quickly, causing a childish squeal of delight to echo throughout the observation room as she pulled out the purple octopus with button eyes and twirled it around in a tight hug. "Mr. Wigggllllesssss!"

London smiled widely at the display of affection she gave the inanimate object. "There's something else in there for you too."

The child looked into the bag once more and she gasped, "…my book! You got my book back too!"

"I did. And that little Pooh bear is still waiting right where we left off last time."

Teagan had heard the story of the little golden bear wearing the red shirt, who tried to fill his honey pot in a tree full of bees a hundred times as she grew up, but she always loved to hear her older sister narrate the lines. With London, the story never got boring. "He's under the honey tree!"

London chuckled and nodded, "Yes he is, pun'kin. Now bring the book and Mr. Wiggles over and let's finish his journey, because tomorrow you start an important journey of your own."

Teagan ran back to their shared bed and dive bombed into the sheets, causing London to laugh out loudly. When the girl had settled under the blankets she smiled warmly, hearing her sister's melodious voice begin fill the quiet room—her green eyes beginning to slowly shut. "…London?"

The older sister stopped her story telling momentarily to answer the younger sister's question, "Yes?"

Teagan giggled, "…Don't let me forget to pack my honey pot. I want to have it on my journey...just like Pooh bear."

London smiled, "…to fill with lots of honey?"

Teagan snuggled into her little stuffed octopus, yawning and closing her eyes. "…mhmm…lots n' lots of…hon…ey…" her small voice trailed off into sleep.

London stroked her little sister's cheek, her own eyelashes soon becoming wet with sadness and hope mixed all into one. "…and you will, little one. Your life will be filled with lots n' lots of honey."

**xxxxxxx**

**[11:40PM]**

The hour had passed by so quickly and London found herself still unable to sleep. Her shoulder ached, her head hurt, and her mind was swimming in a fountain of thought and worry for both Miranda and the morning that would soon come.

London sighed softly, lifting herself off of the bed and walking out of the portside observation room. She had to put her mind at ease and thought that maybe if she just took a little stroll past the medical bay window to check on Lawson that she would feel better.

Deck three was already dimly lit and unoccupied when London walked out into the large open room. Quietly she made her way towards the big window and peeked into the bay. The entire area was dark except for a single night light that lit Miranda's bed and the glow of the machines that monitored her.

After a moment of consideration, she guided herself along the wall until she was met with the medical room's door. It hissed lightly when it opened, London stepping through with little sound as she made her way towards Miranda's bedside. The sniper observed the raven haired woman for a while, examining the features of her peaceful looking face before she pulled up a stool to sit beside Lawson. London hesitantly placed a warm hand over Miranda's much cooler one, her thumb unconsciously caressing the skin beneath. "I know it's late, and I know you probably can't hear this through all the sedatives they put in you but…I just wanted to say _thank you_—for everything. No one except my father and mother has ever stuck their neck out for me before and..." London swallowed lightly, trying to form words to what she felt, "…it means a lot to me that you did. I'm just so sorry all of this had to happen to you…and I hope that you get better so very fast."

A faint grin and very weak voice that needed to take a breath in between words shocked London as it came in response, "…you're…welcome.."

The brunette smiled widely as she got to her feet to lean over Lawson, her own hand moving from the operative's hand and on to caressing Miranda's cheek instead. "Hey…you're awake," London said softly and happily. "Don't try to talk so much, okay? You're still in bad shape."

Miranda's head naturally tried it's best to tilt to the side to lean into the warmth of London's hand, "…how bad…?"

London face suddenly saddened, "You had severe internal bleeding in three places in your abdomen, and a pierced lung."

Lawson smiled weakly, "…is that…all?"

"Oh it's not nearly the worst part" the sniper chuckled tenderly, "…those krogan busted your lip too."

Miranda closed her eyes as her smile grew wider, the cut in her lower lip becoming more apparent when it began to sting lightly. "…those…bastards…"

"Dr. Chakwas pumped you full of medication. She said that you'll be back up on your feet in no time," London said as she removed her hand from the other woman's cheek and retook her seat next to the bed instead.

Lawson nodded her head at the information, suddenly missing the contact. It was so very strange around London. Miranda couldn't think of a time when she actually _wanted_ someone to touch her—not even when she was with Jacob. There used to be sexual attraction to the man of course, but Lawson would find herself being perfectly happy without the touch of his lips or hands on her body for extended periods of time—something she knew wasn't a promising sign for a serious relationship. Miranda learned a long time ago through a series of terrible courtships that if you don't _yearn for_ for the other person the way they longed for you—then it simply wasn't meant to be. And that's exactly what had happened between Jacob and her. There was heat, just no fire.

London could see the heavy thought in Miranda's eyes and spoke up out of concern, "…are you alright? Do you need anything?"

Lawson tried her best to smile at the extremely perceptive woman, dodging the truth of her own answer and instead saying something else with no meaning, "a…little hungry."

The comment made London snigger, "Well we didn't get to eat dinner so I don't blame you. I don't think you should be eating anything heavy in the slightest though so…I'll be right back."

Miranda tried to protest as the sniper left the room, but only groaned in pain as she forced herself to settle back into a calmed state. The woman said she'd return after all; and when she did, it was with a small container full of a yellowish substance and a single spoon. "Applesauce," London stated with a soft smile. "It's all that I could find without waking up the whole floor." After the sniper retook her seat near Miranda, she peeled the little container open and placed the flimsy lid on the patient's side table, soon dipping the spoon into the contents of the container, mixing it around, and then putting a minimal amount of the substance into the utensil.

Miranda's eyes widened at the complete selflessness of the brunette. London was actually going to feed her and with no hesitation or embarrassment. Lawson had to admit that she wasn't really hungry in the slightest, and the thought of being hand fed was embarrassing to no end, but couldn't stop her mouth from giving a brief, weak grin before opening to accept the spoon and its contents.

London carefully placed the utensil into Miranda's mouth and smiled as the operative's lips enclosed around it, slowly sliding it out and placing the spoon back into the container. The sniper took notice of Miranda's heart monitor increasing in speed, but decided not to mention it due to the relaxed state of the other woman's face. "…is it any good?"

Lawson moved the applesauce around in her mouth before swallowing slowly and nodding lightly. "…only…one more." The operative said in between breaths.

The sniper raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Full already?" she teased; bringing the spoon back towards Miranda whom slowly took the food and swallowed again nodding.

London set the container aside, "Well I'm glad you ate even a little. It's better than nothing and you do need your strength to get better."

The pair stared at each other for a moment before Miranda tried her best to speak up again, "…Teagan?"

"She's packed and ready to go. She has all her clothes, paints, Mr. Wiggles, and her book. We leave first thing in the morning…or rather I should say that we leave in a few hours."

Miranda blinked in confusion, "…we?"

London hadn't wanted to bring up the conversation so soon and just enjoy the final moments of her newfound friendship; but now that the conversation was at that point, there was no turning back. Her voice was soft, considerate. "…I won't be returning after we drop off Teagan."

Lawson's eyes widened, her head shaking from side to side slowly. "You have to," she inhaled sharply only to wince, "…mercs…after you…not safe."

London extended her hands to calm the injured woman, "Miranda, I don't belong here. You all have been so wonderful to me, but I'm afraid that I've worn out my welcome. Your mission was completed and my sister is safe. There's no place for me here anymore. I went where Teagan went…and that's all. I can find out who paid to have her kidnapped on my own, there's no need for the Normandy and her crew to get involved. I'm sure you all have much bigger issues to worry about than mine, so please…don't worry about me. I've been taking care of myself for a very long while…this won't be any different."

Miranda held onto London's hand as tightly as she could, which to London just felt like a notch above weak. "…I…can't change…your mind?" the operative asked.

London squeezed the hand gently and shook her head, "…I'll be fine."

Lawson pleaded with the sniper with her bright, beautiful, azure eyes. But in the end, she could see that the brunette was resolute in her decision. She would not press the subject further. "Very…well. There is a package… for you…in my office that I wanted...to give you. Please…take it."

The sniper raised a brow but decided to just accept the package instead of arguing with the deeply injured woman and cause further stress. "…I'll make sure to get it. You rest now, okay?" London looked into Miranda's eyes with deep sincerity, her tone gentle and wishful, "and…I hope one day we'll meet each other again."

Miranda could only reply with a simple nod, her eyes conveying all the emotion she refused to let her face show.

Giving the operative's hand one final squeeze the sniper turned to leave the medical bay, the doors hissing shut behind her. London knew instantly she would miss the company Miranda offered.

**xxxxxxx**

**[1AM]**

Miranda's office was quiet and the temperature was kept cold; London liked the way it felt. Even though Lawson's office lacked in decoration, something about the room now felt incredibly home-like to the sniper despite the several interrogations London had experienced there.

It was easy to make out the medium sized gift box lying on Miranda's bed in such an empty room. The brunette made her way towards the target, sitting on the lip of the operative's mattress and taking the box into her lap...it was heavy. Slender fingers opened the lid to find a note and something enclosed by a thick covering beneath the paper.

_London,_

_After our conversation this morning I took it upon myself to help ease your fears about Teagan…not to mention the gift can also be used for her studies. She's __expected__ to get no less than the highest marks. Anything else is simply unacceptable for such a child._

_I hope it helps._

_Miranda Lawson_

London bit her lower lip lightly at the operative's behavior towards her little sister. She wrote almost as if the child were her own. It was endearing.

After placing the note on the bed then lifting the protective cover beneath it, London's eyes widened as two state-of-the-art portable terminals stared back at her. With these highly expensive tools at their fingertips, the two sisters would be able to keep in contact everyday through linking their terminal's communication systems. They would not only be able to speak to each other, but they would see each other as well. The terminals had a visual link camera installed inside of them with a user friendly interface for all ages. Miranda's gift was absolutely perfect, and it shook London somewhere deep inside that someone was so considerate of her.

As she began place the terminal's back into the box, a little expensive, brand named, pink backpack with baby blue and white accents caught London's eye. She blinked for a moment, putting the expensive hardware aside and taking the little bag out. Another note slipped out from one of the packs pouches and onto the floor. London leaned over to pick up it, the most loving of smiles coming to her lips.

_It's me again,_

_I bought a backpack for Teagan. I hope I didn't overstep my boundaries, it's just the pack was so adorable I had to get it. If you find it to be unacceptable just leave it near my bed._

_Miranda Lawson_

London shook her head as a chuckle left her lips. The pack was most acceptable and noticeably expensive. It kind of relieved the sniper in a way that Miranda had gotten her little sister a snazzy little bag. London could remember a time when Teagan would be picked on by other kids because she was of less fortunate means. Even though Teagan was never dirty, or smelled, was clothed properly, and had the best of manners—kids could be cruel. They would often tease the girl and call her names that reflected her wealth not realizing that all of Omega was a slum, or instead pick on the shape of her slightly too small ear.

Maybe this time around between the fancy bag and even fancier terminal, the other kids of more fortunate means would give her a chance and not be too judgmental. She knew there had to be other children of decent upbringing…Teagan just needed to find them. And deep in London's heart she knew that her little sister would succeed.

London took her time packing everything back into the box, exhaling heavily and sitting in the stillness of Miranda's room afterwards. Her eyes closed for a moment to rest. It had been a very lengthy, emotional day; and was getting rather late. She needed to sleep…the rest of the morning was guaranteed to be long.

London took the box into her arms and carried it quietly out of the office and into her own bedroom, careful to not wake the sleeping child when she set the gifts down on the floor.

The lids of her eyes became heavy as soon as she rested her back against the bed, Teagan instantly squirming her way into her older sister's protective arms and falling back into a heavy sleep. London smiled, cherishing each moment they had left together.

The sniper didn't know what the future held for herself. She didn't know where she'd work, where she'd live, or how she'd manage to get along without the company of the only person that kept her sane since their parents died.

There was, however, one thing she did know; it was almost time to say goodbye to not only her family, but the first friends she had truly made in over six years.

[End 17: Thinking of You]


	18. Goodbye, little one

**[[ A/N: The Mass Effect universe and all it's characters (with the exception of London and Teagan) belong to Bioware.**

**And thank you to zebrahater for your wonderful suggestions and corrections. I greatly appreciate them. ]]  
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* * *

[Chapter Eighteen: Goodbye, Little One]

**[Commander's Cabin/9AM]**

"EDI," Shepard called out casually as he roughly dried his hair with a towel, "set course for the Citadel. We have to get to work early today."

"Course set and we are en route, Commander. Arrival at destination in two hours."

John turned to look at Jack, the goofiest of grins appearing on his face as he observed her. When he eventually responded to EDI it was as an afterthought, "…thank you, EDI."

The couple had been up since six in the morning. John and Jack had just finished showering after Jack insisted she help with Shepard's 'morning ache'. The biotic now lay happily on top of Shepard's bed wearing nothing but her black boy-short styled panties and a grin that screamed contentment.

The commander smiled as he crawled up the bed, planting firm kisses along Jack's length. He would stop occasionally to give the biotic's most sensitive areas extra attention before moving on towards his next destination. Jack bit her lip and closed her eyes, her arms raising to rest above her head as she soaked in the expert ministrations of her lover, "…wanna go again?" she asked, her voice throaty and aggressive.

John grinned as he continued to kiss his way up her body, "…want to, yes…able to—not so much. I have to have Teagan dropped off to Anderson by noon."

Jack scowled, lifting her legs to wrap around Shepard's waist dominantly, "Tell him to wait."

"He's been waiting a week." John mused, wrapping his arms underneath the biotic and lifting her up easily to where Shepard was now sitting up straight in bed with Jack in his lap, her legs still wrapped around him as they sat face to face.

Though still rather early in the morning, the ex-convict was already showing signs of becoming short-tempered, "So it won't kill him to wait another fuckin' two hours will it, Shepard?"

"Well you know Jack…I was just thinking the faster we finished our work—the quicker we'd be able to take those extra hours off. I promised you a good time around the Citadel after we finished this, buuuut...if you'd rather we just—"

Jack squint her eyes and put a roughly placed palm onto John's mouth, measuring the truth to his words before finally giving into the temptation of actually getting to leave the ship. "Fucking fine, whatever. But tonight…you're _mine_."

The commander couldn't tell if he should be excited or worried.

**xxxxxxx**

**[Portside Observation/9:30AM]**

London's eyes thoroughly searched the Observation room trying to spot anything she might have forgotten. "Okay Tee, do you see anything we forgot to pack?"

Teagan checked under their bed one more time, "I think we have everything!"

The older sister began to run through the list once more, "Okay let's review. We packed your clothes—"

"Check!"

"We packed Mr. Wiggles and Winnie the Pooh."

"Check!"

"We packed your quilt."

"Cheeeeck!"

"Is the terminal Ms. Lawson gave you packed securely in your new backpack?"

The little biotic nodded quickly and very seriously, "Yes, ma'am!"

"You made sure to put _my_ terminal's linking I.P number somewhere where you will not lose it, right?"

Teagan laughed, "London, you _taped_ it to the bottom of my terminal!"

The older brunette grinned, "And I already showed you how to reinstall our terminal's links if something ever happens, right?"

"Yeeeeesssss," Teagan replied somewhat bored with the questions she had already answered two times earlier.

London laughed at Teagan's demeanor and scooped up her little sister, twirling her quickly in tight circles sending the child into loud screams of laughter. The sniper growled playfully, "Can you blame your older sister if she just wants to make sure you have everything! _Hmm_?"

Teagan was having trouble breathing through all of her delight, "No…no I don't blame—London stoooop!" she pleaded happily, her old sister's slender fingers now expertly tickling her ribs.

"What are the magic words!" London roared with a beaming smile on her face.

"Please! Please, please, please!" responded the now heavily breathing child.

"Very well," the older woman said, abruptly withdrawing her fingers and settling her little sister down onto their bed.

As Teagan silently fought to regain her composure, London sank into melancholy, the sudden stillness and quiet of the room without her little sister's laugher making the woman wonder if this loneliness was what her day to day existence would be like without her family. "Well then," The older brunette spoke up again after clearing her throat, "it looks like you have everything, pun'kin. If you want, you can go and say goodbye to everyone before we dock at the Citadel and the commander calls us up."

The biotic child looked up at her older sister, "…you don't wanna' say g'bye to them too?"

London clenched her jaw briefly, her eyes almost revealing a deep sadness that London refused to let her little sister see. So instead, the sniper shrugged gently. "…I'm…I'm not very good with goodbyes, Tee. You go ahead. And tell them I wish them all nothing but the best."

"…okay…I'll tell them."

London offered her little sister an encouraging smile, "Oh and Tee? I put all of the jewelry I made in a small pouch inside of your backpack, okay? So be careful when you unpack that nothing spills out."

Teagan's eyes widened, "Why'd you give me your jewelry? You and mama made those!"

The snipers eyes softened, "I don't need them. I want you to give them away to people at your school—your _friends_. But be sure you only give them to those that really, really deserve it. Remember, Teagan…people have to earn your trust and respect and vise versa."

The little girl was silent for a moment as if soaking in the words, "…I will remember, London." Teagan's bright green eyes stared up into her older sister's gray, "But…what about the jewelry box? Didn't Daddy make that for you? What happened to it?"

London went to take the small wooden box out of her pack and took a seat near her little sister, "I still have it," she said softly as she opened its lid to reveal the now empty container. The older woman's slender fingers felt for the notch behind the box and twisted it several times, the small figurine at the boxes center beginning to dance slowly to an inaudible tune that seemed to have broken years ago.

Teagan looked into the container and smiled when she saw the little dancing lion that turned on its pedestal happily. "…what music does it dance to?"

London shrugged sorrowfully, "I wish I could remember. It broke a long time before you were born. I think a part fell out and Daddy wasn't ever able to fix it."

The little biotic reached into the box with a small finger to trace the outline of an engraving that had been burned into the wood many years ago, her small voice repeating the words it said, "…for my little L.E.O. Love, Dad and Mom."

London leaned into her little sister and placed her own cheek on top of Teagan's head in a quiet moment of remembrance. "They would be so happy to see you going to a school like the one on the Citadel. So, remember to keep up with your studies and make our parents and _yourself_ proud okay? Now, go say goodbye to everyone."

The child exhaled softly before nodding, "Yes, ma'am."

**xxxxxxx**

**[Med Bay/10:30AM]**

"Ow…OW! GRUNT…you're standing on my bloody foot!" called out the Scotsman from behind Miranda's medical bed.

The Krogan eyeballed the complaining man and clenched his fist, "Awww is the tiny male human crying because I hurt his soft skinned foot? It's the battlemaster's wish that we do this—so shut your hole."

Gabby had been trying to push Kenneth, Mess Sergeant Gardner, and Legion away from herself so she could have a little more room to breathe, "Can I just—guys can you …uuuugh!"

Legion's optics zoomed in then out, the flaps around his eye whirring softly. "Shepard Commander, space is inadequate."

Teagan was giggling loudly and sitting on the floor in front of Miranda's bed next to London, Tali, and Samara as she waited for the commander to finish setting up.

Shepard was tapping his foot as he stood in front of his entire crew holding a holograph in his hand and waiting for them to settle. "Oh for the love of God! Everyone just squeeze in so I can set this thing up and take the picture!"

Jack was a good eight feet from the rest of crew with her arms crossed and shaking her head quickly from side to side, "Nu-uh!"

The commander slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand and exhaled softly, "Heaven help me. _This_ crew stopped Harbinger from doing the worst thing that's ever happened to the human species yet we can't seem to get a group photo taken?" John glared at the ex-convict, "Squeeze in!"

"Shepard," the ex-convict argued, "_don't_ make me kick your ass in front of the crew."

Grunt and Garrus let out pleased laughs. Shepard groaned, "Jack will you just please get in the photo? Teagan said she wanted a holograph of all of us together so she could take it to school. Are you seriously going to deny her that?"

Jack growled, "Oh, low blow using the damn kid!"

Teagan gave her best pout towards the tattooed woman, "Pleaaaaase, Jack!"

The biotic clenched her teeth and stood in the very back behind Grunt. She wasn't even visible in the holograph's shot. "Jaaack," Shepard warned, "Move out to the side."

"Shit, Shepard!" she spat, "Jack you're too far out_, move in_. Jack, you're too far in—_move out_! Make up your fuckin' mind!"

Shepard sighed heavily, "Just stand BESIDE Grunt!"

"Comaaander my legs are starting to huuuuurt," Joker said in a toddler's voice—obviously trying to piss the commander off.

John could feel his right eye twitch, "Joker—I _will_ break your arm."

"Commander," EDI said in her usual calm demeanor, "breaking the arm of your pilot could prove—"

"I know, EDI!" John said irritably. "Will everyone just—"

"Hey Shepard, is it true we're getting some time off on the Citadel?" Garrus interrupted.

Shepard forced himself to not grab his pistol, "Yes, I'm giving us a few—"

John didn't have to finish the sentence to have the entire Normandy crew begin talking excitedly at once and over him. It had been a long while since anyone had been able to go out for the sake of having _fun._

"Oh Jacob, '_I lost myself on Omega, but found myself in you_' just premiered tonight! Let's go watch it!" Kasumi sang happily to her boyfriend who could only groan dejectedly in return, "Kasu, I'm already half asleep just after hearing that title."

Garrus nudged Kenneth's ribs as a wicked chuckle left his lips, "Looks like Jacob got caught in 'chick flick' movie night. But the rest of the gang is already planning to go to the Darkstar for a few drinks and a couple of dances. You in?"

Miranda closed her eyes and listened to the crew, smiling at their antics from where she lay on her medical bed. Usually such banter would drive her over the edge and towards pulling rank to shut everyone up, but the last two nights had been quiet and lonely and the change of pace was welcomed. Her chest tube was, much to everyone's surprise, already out; Dr. Chakwas having decided it was safe to let Lawson breathe on her own. She was still in a lot of pain but she could now sit upright for extended periods of time and even stand for a short time before discomfort forced her to rest again.

"Hey you should join us, London—it could be like a farewell party!" Kenneth merrily chimed in, "It'll be good times," he said as he grinned perversely and thought of all the alcohol consumption, "really, _really_ good times."

London warily eyeballed the Scotsman before hesitantly responding, "I'll…think about it."

"—Ex-excuse me, everyone." Came the soft voice of Teagan who now stood beside Commander Shepard. The Normandy crew instantly shut up. "Mr. Shepard is only doing this because of me so if everyone could pretty please listen?" When the crew kept their silence, Teagan smiled shyly then retook her seat, "…t-thank you."

John rubbed his eyes as he considered handing his rank over to the child that the crew so obviously loved to listen to. "Thank you, Teagan. Now if everyone will _shaddup_ and squeeze the hell in!"

The soft shuffling of feet and loud groans of annoyance left the crew's mouth as they did as instructed. "Perfect," said Shepard, "Nobody moves!" He set the timer to 15 seconds then bolted to pick up the child, place her on his own shoulders, and stand off to the side beside his girlfriend. Teagan had let out a loud squeal of delight, causing the entire Normandy crew to smile in kind—even Jack.

The holograph made a soft beeping noise. The picture was taken.

Shepard smiled widely, setting the child back on the ground then ruffling her hair. "Here you go Ms. Teagan, one holograph of the Normandy family."

Teagan took the holo, looking down onto it with sudden wet eyelashes and an appreciative smile. "Thank you very much, Mr. Shepard." He had said it was a holograph of the Normandy family… that meant _her too_.

John looked over to London awkwardly as if asking for help—he never meant for the kid to cry. "It's really no problem, Teagan. It was a pleasure to meet you and I hope we meet again in the future."

"Uh-huh," The child said happily as she wiped her eyes free of tears. London came rushing over and placed a supportive hand on the little biotic's back, "Uh Teagan, why don't you go put that holograph away in your pack so you don't lose or scratch it?"

Tee sniffled but nodded in agreement as she walked out of the med bay holding the new picture close to her chest.

London turned to Shepard with an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry, Shepard. She's just…really happy. Thank you for everything you've done for us."

"It's fine," John smiled, "I'm glad to help in any way possible."

"Commander, we have arrived at the Citadel." EDI rang in matter-of-factly.

The commander turned his attention to his crew, "Well you heard EDI, everyone—get back to your stations to make sure everything is as it should be before we unload. Whatever it is you choose to do today, keep it _civil_ and I'll see you back on this ship by 3AM and no later, understood?"

Once everyone agreed and left the med bay, John turned his attention back to London, "You and Teagan are with me. Are you ready?"

The sniper nodded, "We're already packed and ready to—"

"Excuse me, Commander" came the still weak voice of Miranda Lawson, "…may I speak with London for a moment?"

Shepard eyed the two women briefly before nodding and smiling, "Of course. We still have a little bit before our official meeting with Anderson, but remember – we have to be there by noon _sharp_. On arrival I'll give you a proper introduction and I'm sure he'll answer any questions you might have."

"Understood," said the sniper professionally.

"Very well then, I'll leave you two be."

**xxxxxxx**

Miranda groaned softly as she tried to sit up. London rushed over and placed a gentle hand on the operative's back and tenderly added pressure to help lean her over. "Miranda, should you be moving around this much so soon?"

Lawson inhaled slowly as she sat up straight, a grin coming to her lips as she looked onto the brunette. "Dr. Chakwas wasn't kidding when she said I could be up in a week. I—" she grimaced, holding her stomach delicately. "…feel good as new."

If London's face didn't give away her concern, her quickly placed hands on the operative's shoulders to help steady the other woman did, "Just…Don't force yourself, please?"

"London," the raven haired woman said thoughtfully but ascetically, "I'm _fine_."

The brunette instantly retrieved her hands, feeling sheepish that she was treating the operative like a breakable porcelain doll. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to imply that you were wea—"

"—Will you just sit next to me? Your standing around is making me nervous." Lawson teased to ease the sniper's worry.

London lowered her head and laughed nervously as she moved to sit next to the operative, careful of her movements as to not cause too much discomfort for the other woman, "…by the way, thank you for your gifts. They were just… _amazing_. And the backpack is beautiful—Teagan loves it."

Miranda nodded with a small smile, "I'm glad I could help. She really is a wonderful little girl."

"So," London turned to look onto the other woman with interest, "are you going to be able to sleep in your own room again?"

Lawson grinned but shook her head, "I'm afraid not. I'm stuck here until the end of next week for constant monitoring during the nights."

"I take it that means you won't be joining the rest of your crew at the Darkstar?"

The operative shrugged lightly, "Honestly I don't know, Dr. Chakwas told me not to over exert myself. I'm not much for dancing, but I suppose I could go and just watch from a table…I would love to get off this ship even it means just to sit _somewhere else._ Are…you going? Kenneth did invite you after all—and we'll only be docked for this day."

London bit her lower lip, "I don't think so. Somehow I think celebrating after my sister's departure wouldn't be the best thing for me."

As the two women sat together Miranda began to unconsciously lean against London for support in her weakened state, "Celebrate, no. But…I think maybe you should be around people you're acquainted with…at least for a while."

London raised a brow, "Oh?"

Lawson looked over the brunette's neutral face and sighed, "You don't have to pretend that it won't hurt, London. I've had to leave a sister too." Miranda had to take a moment to catch her breath before continuing, "I know what it's like afterwards…how loneliness and worry creep their way in. Teagan is your only family, just like Oriana is mine. It's hard to say goodbye and…it's even harder to be _alone _afterwards."

London considered Miranda's words carefully, her tone still uncertain when she finally responded. "…I'll think about it when that time comes…that's the best I can tell you for now."

Lawson, now conscious of the fact that she was leaning on the other woman, nodded her head as she quickly corrected her own posture. "I understand. Give Teagan my best will you? And tell her I'm sorry I wasn't able to be there to send her off alongside Shepard."

London gently hopped off the bed and nodded, "I'll do that but don't worry…she understands why you can't be there and just wants you to get better." As the brunette turned to leave, London looked over her shoulder to give Miranda a playful smile and tone that made the operative's stomach flip, "…and so do I."

**xxxxxxx**

**[The Citadel/Top floor: Human Embassy/ 12pm]**

John was holding onto Teagan's hand as he nodded London over in the direction of Anderson and a tall woman with blonde hair, "He's right over there. Teagan and I will stay here so you can have your introductions in private. He should have the paper work for you to fill out."

The sniper nodded at Shepard and gave Teagan a quick smile before making her way over to Anderson and extending her hand, "Thank you for taking the time to meet with me, Sir. This situation is proving to be a little bit stressful on my behalf and it eases my mind somewhat knowing you're so willing to answer any questions that I might have."

The older man nodded his head and shook the young woman's hand respectfully, "Not at all, Ma'am. I'm glad to be of any service you might require. And just to ease your mind further, we'll be keeping an extra eye on her security. I'm quite aware of the amount of credits that was placed on her possession—and I'll have you know that she'll be more than safe with us." London nodded, the tight feeling in her stomach loosening somewhat.

"And this," Anderson motioned over for the blonde woman to join their company, "this is Ms. Patricia West, she's a representative and mentor of Teagan's school. While you two fill out the paper work, you are more than welcome to begin asking whatever questions come to mind. I need to have a moment with Commander Shepard."

The sniper took the blonde woman's hand in greetings then offered her thanks again towards Anderson before he walked away. London was led to a nearby table and handed a pen and small stack of forms. Ms. West pointed out various locations that required signatures and initials, "Basically this is just telling us that as her legal guardian you agree to Teagan's enrollment in this school with full knowledge that it's purpose is to teach Teagan not only about the fundamentals of learning, but also about becoming acclimated with her biotics."

London nodded as she read over each line of the contract carefully before signing and initialing at the end of each page. "How are classes assigned?"

"Each age group is divided and placed into separate buildings with their own large, unique staff of highly trained professionals who specialize in teaching that given age range. For example: Our 'Year One' students are usually the youngest—about Teagan's age in fact, and are sent to building one." Patricia pulled out a map of the campus and pointed towards the building for London to see, "Building One has classes that focus on introducing the student to biotics. Before they are allowed to use their ability, they are required to complete extensive studies on the subject before putting their newly acquired knowledge to practical use."

London frowned, "To use, ma'am? You're not training these students to be weapons or just more specialized recruits for—"

Patricia raised his hand towards the other woman in gentle protest, "No ma'am, not in the slightest. Students do not get trained in combat until they move up to building five. _Normal_ studies only last until they reach building four—or the age group of seventeen and eighteen where they graduate. After that, those who wish to pursue a career in the military are given the opportunity to join the recruitment program and enter into building five where they are trained in military techniques that focus on their usage of biotics. Now, while we do have a fair number of recruits from our school, we also have quite a large number of graduates who go on to lead successful, civilian lives. Many of them, in fact, continue on to other universities to pursue their masters or doctorates degree."

The brunette nodded her head in understanding, "What are you security measures?"

"Each building has its own set of well trained adult hall monitors that also specialize in dealing with children of their assigned ages, as well as security cameras around every corner. If a student becomes violent or uses their biotics in inappropriate ways, a minimal dosage of biotic inhibitor is given and disciplinary action is applied. Furthermore, students of Teagan's age are required to be in their rooms by 7:00PM and are allowed friendly, camera monitored visitations by other students until 8:30PM. Lights out is at 9PM due to classes starting at 7AM sharp each morning. Every child is expected to attend."

"What if the child is sick?"

"They have a fully trained medical staff on hand at all hours of the day that can take care of the situation immediately. The staff is to let the child's guardian know immediately if the condition is severe. But about that, Ma'am—I have a question about Teagan."

London nodded, "Of course, what is it?"

"She's been through a delicate situation. Are there any concerns I should be aware of? Is she in need of counseling or any sort of special attention to help her sort through what happened?"

The sniper turned to look at her little sister who was laughing gleefully as Shepard lifted the child horizontally in his strong arms and spun her around in quick circles like a space ship, making various engine sounds as he did so. London's gaze turned back onto Ms. West with a smile, "I don't think that will be necessary. She's a happy child, ma'am. She's strong of spirit and damn smart."

The blonde woman nodded as she took note her personal data pad.

"I have another question of my own if I may," London began, "but just to ease my mind further, Teagan was recently given a portable terminal to keep in contact with me—I assume that won't be an issue given her circumstance?"

Patricia shook her head, "Not all at. In fact many of the students in later grades use PT's to take notes or record lectures and lessons. It's a very helpful tool to have."

London nodded, "She'll be fed three times a day? And clean uniforms are provided?"

"Yes Ma'am, both clothing and food. Breakfast at 8AM, Lunch at 12PM, and Dinner at 6PM. Students also have the option of small, healthy snacks throughout the day—all provided."

London smiled inwardly; she wouldn't have to worry about Teagan going hungry anymore. And though the school seemed to be run a little bit to military for her liking, Teagan would have the best professors, a clean environment, and a full tummy at all hours of the day…something London hadn't always able to provide, much to her regret. "If for any reason my little sister wants to leave the school, would she have that choice?"

The representative couldn't help but chuckle, "Ma'am it's not a prison, it's an educational facility. If the child wishes to transfer or withdraw completely they have that choice provided, of course, that they also have their guardian's consent."

The sniper exhaled happily at hearing this as she signed off the last of the paper work and added the last of her initials. "I think that's it then. I just need a moment to say goodbye…"

Patricia stood up and shook London's hand one last time, "Take all the time you need, Ma'am."

When London returned to her little sister, Shepard put a hand on the older woman's shoulder and smiled gently before walking off with Anderson to have a talk, "Alright sir, I can see it in your face—what's the update?"

Anderson patted John roughly on the shoulder before leaning onto the guardrail and watching the commotion of the Citadel below them, "I have word that other children—some younger than Teagan, have been reported as missing."

Shepard leaned onto the guardrail as well, a furrow coming to his brow as he looked onto the older man, "What's the count, sir?"

Anderson inhaled deeply, "We are currently aware of three others, each discovered to have a genetic abnormality from Eezo exposure."

"Sir," John began, "we found out Teagan has such an abnormality. The Eezo in her body seems to overact to the stimuli from her brain. Her biotic skill is much more advanced than it should be for someone her age. I can only imagine what her capabilities would be like in just a few short years."

Anderson nodded slowly, "I could only figure as much. This isn't coincidence, Shepard. Someone out there is going through a lot of resources to gather the identities of these children."

John sighed heavily as he thought of a resolution, "I'll get in contact with Liara and see if she can gather any information on this 'Buyer'. However, I don't know how much intel she'll be able to acquire with her…_distraction"_ John said almost sourly, "but, I'll see what I can do."

Anderson smiled, "Ah yes, the Shadow Broker."

Shepard raised a brow at the admiral, "You know, sir?"

"John," the older man chuckled with a somewhat dark humor, "I know _a lot_ of things—Liara hunting for the Shadow Broker being only one of them. And I just might be able to help Ms. T'soni with her problem."

John interest was peaked as he leaned into Anderson, his voice lowering. "I'm listening, Sir."

"We only recently uncovered some information that might give Ms. T'soni a lead on where to find the Shadow Broker's base of operations. I'm sure that if you help _her_, she'll help _us_."

Shepard nodded firmly, "I know Liara, Sir. She'll help, so consider it done."

"I'll forward the coordinates to your omni-tool," Anderson said as he turned his attention towards the two sisters and walked towards the hovercraft that would transport Teagan, "For now…while you gather the information, we simply wait and keep the child safe."

Looking up at her big sister, the reality of the situation hit Teagan as she began nervously twiddling her thumbs, suddenly unsure if her choice to leave London, the woman she'd grown up to know as her home, was correct. "W-What if you get sick? I can't be with you to look after you and make you soup. Or what if you get l-lonely?" Her little green eyes searched frantically for an answer to her own distressing questions, "If I can't do it t-then you need to be with people who can make you feel better. Daddy n' Mama aren't here anymore, and I think they would be sad seeing you alone all day. Her small face fell a little, eyes tracing the lines in the floor, "...I would be sad too."

London kneeled down to level her face with her baby sisters, her own gray eyes thick with emotion and beginning to blur from the tears that threatened to spill. _What a smart, intuitive child Teagan is_. "Listen Tee, I'll be just fine. You don't have to worry—that's _my_ job remember? Your job is to grow up big, and smart, and strong for your older sister." Her voice cracking at the last word, London instantly cleared her throat, the light cough covering up the tremble in her voice.

Teagan's lower lip quivered rapidly, her little fists rising to wipe the tears that spilled from her big beautiful green eyes. London couldn't help herself; in a swooping motion the older sister brought Teagan into her arms and hugged as tightly as possible without crushing the small body, causing the tiny biotic to wrap her little arms around her sister's neck and squeeze as hard as she could, burying her face into the warmth of her only sibling. "...I don't wanna go, I changed my mind! …you shouldn't be alone!"

London tried to calm the child as she swayed Teagan gently from side to side. "You gotta' go, pun'kin." The older sister pulled the younger apart from her to look the smaller brunette straight in the eye. "If you don't go, you'll miss out on all the fun you could have! And you might even miss that chance to make lots of great friends, and play with all of those fun toys. Not to mention you'd be with other kids who were just like you."

Teagan lowered her sad eyes and twirled one of London's long loose curls in her tiny finger, "But I already have someone just like me…I have my big sister…I have _you_."

London had to take a moment to look up and away from Teagan to refrain from spilling tears. When she felt the moisture in her eyes to no longer be a risk, the sniper once more gazed upon the tiny biotic, taking her little sister's tiny hands into her own fully matured ones, "Hey. Be good and _listen_ to your big sister, okay? Besides, I'm not going to be alone, silly. Shepard's taking me," She looked over her shoulder towards Shepard and pleaded with those striking light gray eyes. London was outright lying to her little sister and hoped Shepard would not only catch on—but work _with_ her. Shepard gave a half smile and nod, realizing what London's eyes asked. London smiled to him then turned back to face her sibling, "...see? He's all for it. So, go on with Anderson, pun'kin. I'll be just fine with the Commander."

Teagan squeezed her big sister's hands then looked over to Commander Shepard. A few long moments passed before a wide smile spread across her mouth and she turned back to stare into London's eyes, "So…so does that mean you can have friends the same as me? Someone to look after you— like you do for me?"

"That's right, just the same as you." She reassured, "Now go on. I'll be sure to write a message to you everyday and visit as often as my credit-chit allows. Don't forget we can have video chats as well, okay?"

A trickle of fear snuck its way back into Teagan's eyes. "Y-you promise?"

London looked dead serious as she brought up her pinky to the little girl. "I promise with all of my heart and soul."

Teagan smiled widely as she joined pinkies with London. "Okay… I'll go to school then— b-but you better write everyday!"

"…That's my girl." London stood up from her kneeled position, watching as the small, suddenly excited child ran towards the gently smiling Anderson and school representative.

"You take care of her you hear me, Mr. Anderson!" London called out, crossing her arms under her breasts and taking two steps forward.

"Yes ma'am. You don't have to worry, she's in great hands." The councilor easily responded.

London bit her lower lip, willing tears to not fall as she watched Teagan enter the hover-car. "I love you, Tee!" she managed to shout without her voice choking.

"I love you too!" Teagan shouted back, the car door soon closing afterwards.

The last thing London could see of her beloved younger sibling was Teagan smooshing her hands up against the darkened glass waving frantically and with a giant smile.

"Goodbye, little one." The brunette whispered brokenly out into the air.

Teagan was gone, and the only thing that replaced her was silence.

_Miranda was right, this hurts. _London gasped, covering her mouth with a hand and choking back a sob that wanted so badly to come out. After a moment she covered both eyes with the softness of her palm and took a deep breath. She was not going to show weakness in front of Shepard.

She turned and began to leave, glancing at Shepard with tired eyes. "Thanks for helping me out back there, but I got it from here. Also… you don't have to feel bad for lying to Teagan. This is the best thing I could have ever let her do…she just needed to hear I would be okay."

Shepard reached out to her, placing a hand on her forearm to stop her from walking. "And _will_ you be?"

London looked back and over her shoulder, shrugging the hand off gently before walking away and towards the rapid transit. "...I always am," she said softly, "I've been taking care of myself for a long, long time. This will be no different; I'll just have one less mouth to feed." The sound of her saying such a thing broke her own heart. "Goodbye, Commander Shepard, and thank you very much… for everything."

[End 18: Goodbye, Little One]

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**[[ A/N: ...*sighs sadly*.**

**Let me know what you all think, hit the blue link below and let me have it. ]]  
**


	19. Things Fall Apart

**[A/N: The mass effect universe and all characters (with the exception of London and Teagan) belong to Bioware.**

**Thanks to zebrahater for being my beta and correcting all my silly mistakes. Sometimes at 4AM I find myself writing stupid things like, "Shepard needed to fill his air with lungs." *sigh***

**Also, I had to start off the Shadow Broker DLC so you might recognize some dialog. ]  
**

* * *

[Chapter Nineteen: Things fall apart]

**[ Illium/ Dracon Trade Center/ 7PM ]**

Jack growled lightly as she looked over towards the commander, "We had one damn day off—a day that you fuckin' _promised_ to take me out…and we end up doing _this_? Better be worth it, Shepard."

John sighed lightly, keeping the sights of his rifle on the asari in front of him, "I already said I'm sorry, Jack. These things come up sometimes…I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Garrus cleared his throat, "Is now _really_ the time?"

Liara was aiming her hand cannon with deadly accuracy at the asari SPECTRE Tela Vasir. Shepard, Jack, Liara, and Garrus had the spectre backed against a glass window leaving her with no place to run. T'Soni's eyes were narrowed, her stance tense, and tone rigid. "Once she had my location she signaled the Shadow Broker's forces. They bombed the building to take me out. She found Sekat, took his data, and killed him," Her eyes glanced over the asari spectre. "…I'm guessing she's still got the disk on her."

"Good guess," Vasir said with a chilling smirk as a small, blue biotic ball formed in her palm, "…not that you'll ever see what's on it, you _pure blood_ _bitch_!" The large window behind the specter shattered, each dagger edged piece of glass thrown biotically forward towards Shepard and his team. Liara had no choice but to lower her pistol and quickly shield the small crew with a biotic sphere. Jack clenched her jaw tightly, _"That's my damn job."_

When Tela noticed her attack had been obstructed she shot a spiteful at Shepard's team before turning on the balls of her feet and hastily moving to jump out the now shattered window towards her freedom. Liara's eyes widened, "Shepard, she'll get away!"

"Like hell she will!" John sprang after the asari spectre and closed in. He lowered his shoulder and lunged into the woman, clinging to her armor as they plummeted down four stories. Vasir lit up with a bright blue aura slowing the speed of the two entangled bodies' descent, managing to smash her boot against Shepard's chest to knock him away before landing.

John crashed into the ground with a loud groan, taking a moment to fill his lungs with air before even thinking to sit up. As he lay on his back, Shepard witnessed Liara jump over the edge and light up in bright blue hues much like Vasir had, landing with an absurd amount of grace, "You," he coughed lightly, "couldn't do that _before_ I tackled her off the edge?"

T'Soni simply ignored the out of breath man and ran after the SPECTRE, Jack and Garrus quickly joining their commander to help him up. "How the hell did you two get down so quickly?" John asked, looking up at the distance they would have had to jump.

Garrus pointed over to the right, a grin on his lips. "Stairs."

Shepard rolled his eyes and growled in annoyance as he nodded his head in Liara's direction and started to sprint, "Of course—why didn't I think of that? _Fuckin' stairs_!"

**xxxxxxx**

When John and his team had finally arrived, Liara and Vasir were caught in a standoff. Both asari had been taking cover behind hovercrafts and shooting their pistols when given the chance. However, Shepard's arrival pushed the asari SPECTRE to make the quick decision of calling her car to her location. Liara was proving to be a pain as it was—Tela couldn't afford to be outnumbered on top of that.

When the hover craft was in position, Vasir's body once more lit up as she threw herself over the edge of the building, landing easily into her opened vehicle with little concern and speeding away. "Damn it!" Liara cried as she stood up to quickly check all the surrounding hover cars, hoping that one would be unlocked. After several attempts, and a few car alarms later, T'Soni found what she was seeking—an unlocked taxi cab. Quickly she got inside the craft to hotwire it. Shepard sighed heavily and took his place at the driver's seat, playful eyes looking over the asari by his side, "I'm _fine_ by the way—thanks for asking!"

Jack eyed the two curiously, her lip curling lightly at the thoughts in her head. _"Why the hell would he want __her__ to make sure he's okay?" _Her eyes ran over John's facial expression. It was soft and even seemed loving in some ways. He couldn't take his eyes off the beautiful Liara. _"What the hell, Shepard?"_ Before the tattooed woman could vocalize her displeasure, the Turian at her side had already begun to speak.

Garrus shook his hands quickly towards the Commander, "I'm not getting in that thing if you're driving."

Shepard grinned and nodded his head towards Jack, "I wasn't going to pick you to come anyways, Garrus."

The Turian smirked and crossed his arms, "Yeah, yeah. See ya' on the ship, Shepard."

Jack got into the sky car quickly, aggressively pushing her way past the Commander to get to the back seat, her elbow 'accidentally' hitting John harshly in the face. "Jack—"

"Come on she's getting away!" Liara called out rapidly and interrupting the commander.

John bit his tongue as the doors to the car shut. He slammed his foot on the acceleration and made a sharp turn to exit the landing pad. T'Soni gasped and fastened her seatbelt securely, causing Jack to grin viciously in return. _She's such a pussy._

As Shepard dodged and weaved through the traffic and between the narrow crevasses of tall buildings, Liara pointed excitedly towards the sky car she recognized as Vasir's, "There she is! Hang a right—" John closed in onto the target. "NO—no wait left!" he shifted the wheel quickly, the vehicle jolting violently to the side.

John furrowed his brow in concentration, "I'm on her!"

"Here, take a left—she's around the corner."

As their car took the sharp turn, Liara's eyes widened. "We're not going into the construction site are…oh Goddess—"

Shepard grinned, turning the wheel sharply and pressing against the accelerator with his right foot. He ducked and dodged their vehicle with ease through the small site that consisted of crumbled buildings and toppled over walls, following Vasir through a tunnel and making another sharp left onto a highway.

Liara leaned forward in her seat, placing a hand on the dashboard as she furrowed her brow. "I'm not letting her escape with that—TRAFFIC, ONCOMING TRAFFIC!"

Shepard waved a hand at her, a large smile on his lips. "Eh, we'll be fiiine!"

T'Soni turned to look at the commander before turning back to gaze out the front window of the taxi cab. Something had caught her attention—small devices were being casually tossed out Vasir's window and left to float in the taxi cab's path, "She's dropping proximity charges…"

John's forehead wrinkled and his grip on the steering wheel tightened as he swiftly went around the tiny red devices. "I noticed."

As Shepard maneuvered his way closer towards the other SPECTRE'S vehicle, two rockets narrowly flew passed Shepard's and Liara's door from behind. Jack quickly turned her head to gaze out the back window and noticed a large sky car was closing in, "She's got reinforcements!"

John growled as he pressed his foot all the way down on the acceleration upon entering a highway tunnel, his position directly behind Vasir. "What kind of guns does this thing have?"

Liara groaned, "It's a taxi, it has a fare meter!"

Shepard clenched his jaw, "Wonderful."

Up further along the road Vasir had rammed the rear end of a cargo truck causing it to spin out of control and flip over. Shepard was going well over 200 kilometers and showing no intentions of stopping. Liara looked over to Shepard, then out towards the truck, then back again. "Truck…"

John frowned, "I know."

"Truck!"

"I KNOW."

"TRUCK!"

Jack rolled her eyes, a finger rising to press against her own temple. "SHUT. UP."

As the large cargo vehicle flipped off the ground, Shepard expertly squeezed the cab underneath it and through the small opening—the roof of the cab making scraping sounds against the roof of the truck as it quickly flew by. "There we go!" Shepard called out happily as he continued their pursuit. In the back seat Jack couldn't help but raise her hands in the air, cackling loudly at the high speed chase.

Liara had plastered her back against her seat, making a face like someone had just electrocuted her. She stared at Shepard then back towards the ex-convict, "You're enjoying this!"

Jack grinned wickedly, "You ain't?"

John laughed lightly as he swerved onto incoming traffic, his cab hot on Vasir's trail. Liara eyed the ex-convict carefully then squirmed underneath her safety belt as she observed all the cars whizzing by her window, "…she's almost out of range but…a head on collision at this speed…"

"Yeah I hear that can be pretty bad," Shepard joked and he dodged the traffic.

"TRUCK—"

"Again?—"

"Watch out—there, THERE! You're right on her!"

John looked out the passenger side window and offered a neighborly wave at Tela, while Jack stuck out her middle finger towards the other specter that could only scowl and ram her vehicle into Johns, the jolt nearly causing him to collide with an oncoming car. Shepard glared at Vasir and bit back, his taxi cab ramming hard into Tela's sky car. The force was enough to knock the shady SPECTRE free of control and ram into another oncoming car. The asari cried out as she plummeted into the rooftop rooms of the hotel Azure. John grinned at his success as he made his way onto the rooftop landing pad.

**xxxxxxx**

**[Illium/ The Azure Hotel/ 10:05PM]**

Liara pulled out the small chip from Tela's body, "Sekat's personal data pad. This has what we need to find the Shadow Broker. I'm putting the data through to the Normandy's computers; we can be at the Shadow Broker's base in a few hours…he'll know about Vasir's death before long. If…If he decides to kill—"

Shepard grabbed the asari tenderly by the arm to keep her from walking, "—we'll get Feron out of there alive, Liara. I promise."

"I know, you're here to help…just like always. "

John couldn't help but frown lightly at the comment, "That's…not a good thing?"

"When we first met you saved me from the Geth—you fought a Krogan battle master while I cowered. Now…you're doing it again…and I'm still leaning on you for help."

"That's what friends do, Liara."

Liara shook her head and turned to continue walking, "I can get us to the Shadow Broker's lair based on Sekat's data. The Normandy's stealth drive will keep them from detecting us. The Shadow Broker's agents are still shooting their way through Illium. With luck, they won't notice we've left until it's too late—"

Shepard scoffed and shook his head at Liara in disbelief, "That's a little cold…they killed innocent people."

T'Soni bit her lower lip, instantly wishing she had worded the sentence differently. "You…you know what I mean."

"Do I?" John asked callously, "When I hit the ground back at the trade center, you went after Vasir without so much as a backwards look."

Jack observed from afar, her arms crossing underneath her chest as she witnessed the exchange.

Liara shook her head dismissively, "A little fall wasn't going to kill you. I had to stay on Vasir. I had to stay rational—make the call…like I did with Sekat."

"That's Vasir's fault…not yours."

The asari shook her head, "Sekat had no idea what the stakes were. I put him in harms way to get the data I needed. I got him killed…and I'd do it again. But from here on out things will be simple: Get in, get Feron, and get out." Liara turned to continue walking once more. "…and kill anyone who tries to stop us."

"That's it?"

"That's it—"

"Just—" John reached out to grab Liara firmly by the hand, "Will you just _stop_ for a second? We'll be jumping several light-years—there's time to talk."

Jack found herself shaking her head in anger as she saw Shepard's hand hold the asari's.

"About what?" she said, a hint of annoyance in her tone.

"About us," he responded firmly, "What the hell is this Liara?"

T'Soni placed a gentle hand over the one that was grasping her own, "Shepard, listen…I'm glad you're here…"

"—But what?" he began coldly, "You worried there might be terminals you need me to hack?"

Liara frowned, taking her hand back quickly. "That's not fair! You were dead."

"I came back."

The asari leaned in, her words tinged with sadness and anger, "It's not that easy! You can't just come back and have two years of mourning suddenly vanish." She had to take a small moment to compose herself suddenly, stepping back and away from the commander. "I'm sorry, Shepard. I can't get into this. For now…let's just focus on getting Feron back."

"Fine." John clenched his jaw and watched as the asari walked away, but before he could follow in her steps he felt a hand take hold of him harshly by the wrist.

Shepard looked back towards the offender with hateful eyes before realizing who it was. The intensity burned out instantly and was replaced by a deeply apologetic gaze. "Jack I—"

The biotic shook her head, her eyes wide with disbelief. "What the fuck was that, Shepard?"

"Look, Jack…things between Liara and I are—"

The ex-convict took a step backwards, a realization coming to her mind. "—you fu…" her mouth twisted as if she had just tasted something horrible, "You _fucked_ the real life _Mr. Wiggles_?"

John blinked in confusion; an image of Teagan's stuffed octopus flashing through his mind, "…wait—_what_?"

"You fucked her, didn't you!"

Shepard instantly waved his hands frantically in front of himself, "No! It's _not _like that!"

"—then you better start explaining what the hell it was I just saw or that Vasir bitch won't be the only SPECTRE I kill, Shepard."

John swallowed quickly, "Jack, this thing between Liara and I was…it was a long time ago. She was different—young and curious and—_no_, we did _not_ have sex. _Wanted_ to but I knew—"

The commander didn't have the chance to complete his sentence before a biotically glowing fist connected hard with his mouth. John could feel his lower lip bust wide open as Jack let out a gasp that sounded like a mix between angry and torn.

"Wrong answer, Shepard."

Shepard quickly spit out a decent amount of blood and wiped his mouth, watching his girlfriend storm away towards the exit, "Jack let me just—Jack WAIT!"

She was gone.

**xxxxxxx**

**[The Normandy/ Med Bay/ 10:45PM]**

Jacob was pacing around Lawson, his hands extending towards the woman in an attempt to stop her movements, "Miranda, I don't think you should take those out—"

"—too late." Miranda said flatly, ripping out the connections that kept her attached to the monitors of the medical bay with a wince. Jacob groaned, "—will you just stop! Dr. Chakwas said specifically that you needed—"

"Bloody hell Jacob, I'm fine!" she said coldly and quickly, her Australian accent coming out thicker than usual. "I'm bloody _fine_. I need to get out of this damn room… I want to just go back to _my_ office, bunker down, lay on my _own_ bed, work on _my_ terminal and—"

Jacob put both his hands on her shoulders, "Miri, stop. You're still weak and still hurt and—"

Miranda pushed Jacob's hands off of her own shoulders roughly, "I am _not_ weak. Did you not just hear anything I said? I'm okay! And Jacob, my name is Miranda—not Miri, _Miranda_. Hell, call me Lawson—_Operative_ even!"

Jacob growled loudly in annoyance, "What has been with you! Your mood has just been _terrible_ as of late." He paused to think, "Are you on your perio—"

"—finish that sentence Jacob, and hurt or not, I _will_ round house kick you in the face." Lawson said through closed teeth, walking quickly out of the medical bay.

Jacob dropped his hands to the side in defeat as he pursued, "Where are you going?"

Miranda clenched her fists to her side as she walked towards her office, "I _just_ said I was going to my office!" She paused suddenly, turning to face Jacob with such intensity the man took an involuntary step backwards, "—you know Jacob, you never _listened_. Ever! Not once while we were together!"

He blinked as he raised his hands in defense, happy that the hour was late and no one else was on deck three. "Hey—whooooa. Where did _that_ come from? What are you even talking about—listened to what?"

"Me! You never _listened_ to me," Miranda said, the muscles in her cheeks flexing. "We never talked for the sake of talking…it was always what _you_ wanted to speak of, what _you_ wanted to do."

Jacob pointed a stern finger before letting his hand drop to the side, "That is not fair, Miranda. Maybe if _you_ weren't such a," he knew better, but he couldn't stop the words from coming out of his mouth, "_ice queen_ and would actually TALK about _yourself_ from time to time, I would have listened! All the small, insignificant things you've ever told me—I've remembered. Everything."

Her eyebrow went up, "Insignificant? Really, Jacob?"

"—you know that's not what I meant."

"…what's my favorite color?" she asked, her voice curious and harsh.

Jacob rubbed his eyes, "…you never said—"

"Yes I did," she said quietly, "…the Illusive Man had sent us to the Citadel to pick up a package. We got there thirty minutes early and I had wanted to buy a new sweater with whatever time we had…but they didn't have it in my favorite color. What was it?"

The officer sighed lightly, his eyes looking over the hurt expression in the operative's face. "Miranda…what is this _really_ about? Because I know it's not about us. You made it very clear that there was no _us_ a long time ago. And you've actually supported me and Kasumi in our relationship…so I don't understand. Why are you angry at me?"

Lawson covered her face with the palms of her hands, "I'm…I'm sorry, Jacob. You didn't deserve that—any of it. I'm just… exhausted. I need to sleep in my own bed and actually get some rest."

Jacob observed as the operative walked up to her office door and pushed the green button. When he spoke, his voice was unsure but tender. "It's about… her…isn't it."

Miranda wordlessly looked down onto the ground before taking a step through the open door frame, the entrance hissing shut behind her back. Lawson had closed her eyes, inhaling deeply at the familiar, faint scent of lavender that usually lingered in the air of her bedroom. When she finally reopened her azure orbs, Miranda noticed a small box on the lip of her bed, its deep wooden color contrasting dramatically against the blandness of her office. Curiously, the operative made her way over and picked up the small object tenderly. When she opened its lid she found the box to be empty. However…there was a small, twirling lion at its center that caught her eye.

The operative closed the box's lid and looked out the small window near her bed momentarily before closing her eyes in thought.

…_London, where are you?_

**xxxxxxx**

**[Commander's Cabin/11:30PM]**

"…just give me a second to explain, will you" John pleaded as he tried to keep the biotic from packing whatever belongings she had in his room, "It was a long time ago, Jack! Liara is not the same person—_I'm_ not the same person!"

"You _chased_ after her. You even fuckin' said 'Liara, there's time to talk about _us'_," the biotic mocked angrily, "Shepard, you _told_ me you wanted to _fuck_ her! So you know what," Jack said casually, throwing what few items of clothing she had in his bedroom into her pack, "be my fuckin' guest. She's down with the fringe, the cripple, and the bucket-head right now, but I'm sure once she's done with them—she'll be _more_ than happy to come up here and screw your brains out all night," she said acrimoniously as she zipped up her pack roughly.

John reached out to grab her hand, "You're not listening—"

The biotic rammed an angry fist against Shepard's forearm to break their contact, "No _you're_ not listening! This?" she motioned between the two of them, "…this wasn't ever going to work, Shepard."

John's brow furrowed sadly, "…you don't mean that, Jack."

Jack clenched her jaw and looked down at her own trembling hand, "…chumps like us aren't meant to last, Shepard. I'm a no-good and you're a goody-good. We don't mix…sooner or later we'd end up killing each other. Besides, I was gonna' get tired of you eventually…it looks like you just beat me to the punch."

Shepard shook his head, his tone hurt. "…is that what you think? That I'm getting tired of you?"

The biotic dropped her small pack in frustration, quickly folding her arms under her breasts tightly in an attempt to soothe herself. "…I don't know anymore, Shepard. I feel like I'm fuckin' losing myself in this—in _you_. And I don't _like_ it. I don't wanna' to be that chick that has her heart—" Jack swallowed the tightness in her throat, taking a small moment to think of her next words carefully. "I ain't gonna' chase you. And I reaaallly don't wanna' have to paint myself fuckin' blue to get you off."

John moved only a step closer towards Jack, his hands cautiously reaching out to touch her shoulders as a small smile came to his lips, "…Jack…you've never had to do that before. And believe me when I say…you 'get me off' just fine."

Jack couldn't help but grin, a gently closed fist hitting the commander on his chest. "I'm being serious, you fucker."

"…so am I, Jack. Liara and I are just friends. Our relationship was very complicated a long time ago."

Jack bit her lower lip, slowly picking up her pack then looking deeply into the Commander's eyes, "…I know. And that's why you need to sort this crap out before I put a bullet between your eyes outta' frustration."

John took another quick step in disagreement towards the biotic which in turn caused Jack to take a step back, "Shepard, don't. Figure your shit out then maybe, if you're lucky, I'll be around to hear what you have to say."

"Don't even joke like that, Jack."

The biotic shook her head, a saddened and disappointed look filling her dark hazel eyes as she turned to leave."…I'm not."

**xxxxxxx**

**[Sigurd's Cradle/ Planet Watson/27.3 Degrees North-Equatorial Regions/4:30AM]**

The faint light of the already rising sun could hardly be seen behind the dark clouds its rays hid behind, dimly lighting the deep sapphire colored sky above the small and rundown home. Its walls were battered and windswept, its walkway was worn. Most of the frames that outlined the windows were loose or discolored. There were no more of her mother's flowers, no more of her father's vegetables. The years and the elements had not been kind towards the little family home; they had left it ragged, bare, and lonely.

London could feel the muscles in her abdomen tighten and her stomach turn to knots as she looked upon the uneven door of her home. She leaned over, placing her hands on her knees and shakily breathing in deeply to try and steady her nerves. The gentle, cold rain that fell onto her feverish body was welcomed by the young brunette. The image of her dead parents lying side by side had haunted her dreams for the past five years, and now the only thing that stood between the nightmare and the reality of the image could be measured in mere feet.

London slowly made her way up the old cobble-stoned walkway, briefly stopping underneath the badly maintained porch to trail her slender fingers over the old wood of her mother's now broken rocking chair. Her eyes closed, the memory of her mother's voice echoing sweetly in her mind.

_Isabella stood up from her rocking chair; her long, brown, loose curls falling over her shoulders as a stern finger pointed towards the direction of her only and dearest child. "You get down from that tree right now!" A happy London stuck her tongue out playfully in response, "I can't yet! I haven't found any honey for my pot!"_

"_Little girl..." the woman sighed heavily, "—Ay Dios mio, you get down right this instant! You are far too high!"_

_A tall, muscular man with dark, golden hair came out through the door, a large smile on his lips as he wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed the nape of her neck, "…oh leave the child be, Isabel. She's a good lass; determined like her mother and curious like her father."_

_Isabella turned in the Irish man's strong grasp and lifted to the tips of her toes to kiss his lips sweetly, "…you forget to mention that she also gets the 'pig-headed' and 'foolish' traits from your side, Mr. O'Conner."_

"_Well, Mrs. O'Conner, if I'm not mistaken—__you're__ the one that reads her that little bear book every night. She's only doing what you've inspired her to do."_

_The beautiful Spanish woman ran her thumb over her husband's lips, "…and that would be?"_

"…_to reach for something greater than she. To climb…and to keep on climbing until she gets what she wants."_

_Isabella sighed softly as she placed her cheek against her husband's firm chest, "…I just don't want her to get hurt, my love."_

_Mr. O'Conner shook his head and finally caved into the wishes of his exquisite wife, "Alright you heard your mother, little lion." He called out, "Get off that tree and come wash up before lunch."_

_London whined softly, "But papaaaa.."_

_He raised a finger in warning, "__**L**__ondon __**E**__sadee __**O**__'Conner—no complaining, just do as I ask please. Lunch will be ready soon."_

_The tiny brunette began to make her way down the broad trunk of the tree, exhaling dramatically. "Yes, siiiiiiiir."_

Thick, wet eyelashes slowly lifted to reveal now reddened eyes. London brought the back of her wrist to wipe the offending tears before turning to face the door to her home. She had to pause after placing her palm on the handle to mentally prepare herself for the sight of her parents. Questions ran through her mind with urgency, her stomach once again churning with sickness. "_I am no doctor" _she began fearfully,_ "I have no idea how their bodies will look after seven years of decomposition. Have animals gotten to them? Would they be…intact?"_

The sniper's hand was trembling as she pushed the door open, her eyes widening with horror as she realized the place where her parents should have been laying together was now… empty. Instinctively she reached for her pistol and aimed it into the dark living room, her eyes wildly searching for the slightest hint of intrusion. She squinted through the darkness, her gray orbs tracing over every outline of furniture and decoration. The furnishings had been repositioned, decorations had changed, and interior repairs had been made.

London made her way from room to room with no noise, her gun gripped firmly in her hand and her eyes fully alert only to find that each area she encountered was clear. Slowly she made her way down a hall and towards the master bedroom where her parents used to sleep. The door was closed and she cautiously leaned in to press her ear against the old wood grain. Her forehead wrinkled when she heard the gentle snoring of a man. Yet something caught her attention causing eyebrows to go up; she could also hear the loud breathing of what seemed to be a woman as well.

"_Go in now," _she thought tactically, _"you'll have the upper hand if you catch them asleep and off their guard."_

London breathed in deeply, the grip on her pistol tightening as she brought the heavy slam of her boot against the doors surface causing it to swing violently open with loud crack. She pointed the laser of her M5 directly onto the man's forehead, her eyes suddenly widening at the sight.

The intruding couple sat up quickly in the bed. The woman instinctively covered the small body in between her own and the man next to hers, while the male quickly threw up his hands and planted himself in front of the woman's body. "Please," he called out quickly, "w-we are unarmed—there is a child in this bed!" he swallowed quickly, the fear in his eyes prominent, "…please."

London eyed over the woman and the small body she covered before looking back at the man's terror stricken eyes angrily, "Who are you? What are you doing in _my_ home?"

"I'm sorry," he said rapidly, "W-we had no idea this home was still occupied. My family and I h-have been here for a while. We didn't have any other place to go and we had stumbled upon this house and..."

London clenched her jaw, her laser sight still placed pitilessly between his eyes. "How long have you been living here?"

"One month, Ma'am." he said so quickly that London knew there was no way he could have been lying.

"Who do you work for? Who sent you?" the sniper asked with a harsh, cautious tone.

The man shook his head unknowingly, "…m-ma'am?"

London growled, "I said, who the hell do you work for!"

The woman spoke up quickly, a small sob in her voice as she noticed the small blue dot on her husband's forehead, "We're farmers! Please—take anything you want. We'll leave—we'll leave right away, just let us go."

London's chest was heaving heavily now, her eyes frantic and unsure of what to do. She could tell the couple was telling the truth, but she had gone through way to much shit to ever trust anyone so freely—especially as of late. "Tell me what you grow."

The man had repositioned himself so his wife and child were once more hidden behind his back, "O-oranges, ma'am. We buy the seeds directly from Earth and grow them outback. The climate here is perfect and they grow quickly to be the size of large grapefruits. It's how we make our living...w-we sell them locally. There's a small town about—"

"—eight hours from here, I know." London said biting her lower lip, her weapon faltering slightly. "…there were two people in the living room. They were…" The sniper swallowed, unsure of how to word the sentence. "t-they were…"

The other woman looked onto London with a soft sadness in her voice, "…did you know them?"

London's lower lip trembled momentarily before her steely gaze once more took over, "They were my parents."

The woman placed a hand on her husband's arm and, "Frank…"

London eyed the man with a raised brow. "What did you do with them?"

"…I buried them properly and side by side, Ma'am. We made a clearing out in the woods behind the house where they could be at peace."

"And what did you do with their belongings?" London asked, her tone quickly becoming cold. "This house was full of our things—you had _no right_ to go and just move everything around. Where are they?"

Frank raised his arms higher, "I know, I know…and we're sorry. We didn't sell anything if that's what you're asking. Everything was put into a large container…it's in the shed outback. I can take you—"

"…papa..." came the voice of the tiny two year old boy who was snuggling into his mother's warmth. London's eyes shot open as the child's eyes peered deeply into the depth of the M5's barrel, then into the intensity of London's gray orbs. She instantly lowered the gun in shame. "I'm..." The sniper looked at the tightly gripped pistol in her hand, tears spilling over and down her cheeks as she looked up and towards the small family, "I'm so…sorry. I didn't mean to be so…to become…I just thought that you…"

Frank watched as the young woman turned to leave hastily through the back door, his wife clinging to his side and holding onto their child tightly, "We should leave Frank, she might come back and—"

"—I don't think she will, honey." He said softly, not having missed the sudden helplessness in London's eyes, "I don't think she will."

The sniper had bolted through the back door, stopping only at the shed to pack her family photos, her mother's favorite yellow sun dress, and her father's small qitan crafting toolset.

The rain had become heavy and London had slipped several times as she ran through the woods desperately trying to find the clearing the man named Frank had spoken of. It felt as if she had been running for an eternity; her legs and calves ached as her heart pounded loudly in her ears, but soon London could see where the trees parted into a neatly crafted semi-circle. Her legs instantly stiffened, her posture frozen as she saw the large grave that easily fitted two bodies. Instead of a headstone there was a rather large rock adorned with the delicate handwriting of small words lightly chiseled into its surface.

_-=- Though we knew not your names, we will always remember your kindness. You have given my family hope when we had none, a roof where rain once pelted our heads, and a warm bed where there used to only be cold earth. It is with our deepest respect and utmost gratitude that we bury you in this place of peace and honor. We wish you well on your journey, friends, and hope that wherever you are now, that you are together and happy. -=-_

London walked up to the stone and fell to her knees as trembling hands slid over the rock's damp surface, gray eyes reading the kind words slowly. She released a low, throaty sob as she laid her body down next to her parents. Her cheek laid flatly against the cold, wet ground as her fingers grasped tightly at the mud above the large grave. "…tell me what to do …" she whimpered softly into the stillness of the forest. "Please…I need your help…_mama_, _daddy_…tell me what to do…"

Time had passed slowly and eventually the rain had stopped. London had made no effort to move; her body felt cold, limp, and heavy from the wetness that surrounded her form. As a ray of sunshine landed upon the sniper's back a single tear rolled down from her eye duct, the thoughts of a woman with raven black hair and a beautiful smile warming the chilling ache in her bones.

_I wish you were here._

[End Nineteen: Things fall apart]

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**[ A/N: ****Feel free to hit me in the face with your reviews or random comments. ]  
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	20. Forebodings

**[Disclaimer:The mass effect universe and all characters with the exception of London and Teagan belong to Bioware.  
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**A/N: Wow...twenty chapters already? It's been a long ride and I'd like to say thank you to all of the readers who have stuck with me this far on my first fan-fiction journey. It's been an absolute pleasure.**

**So here we go, enjoy!]**

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[Chapter Twenty: Forebodings]

_**[Miles below the surface of a desolate moon/ Mercenary slaving base/5AM]**_

_It's just not the same without you guys. I… miss my old team._

Liara placed a gentle hand on the commander's shoulder, "Shepard?"

John quickly shook the thought from his head then locked and loaded his Mattock rifle, "Right. This shit is about to get real messy real quick, soldiers. The objective is simple: put the slavers and freelance agents down—none of them make it out alive. If we find any biotic children escort them to the shuttle's landing zone. Copy that, marines?"

The unit Special Forces marines nodded their heads and responded in unison, "Yes commander Shepard, Sir!"

"Then let's move it out. Marshals, take lead of squads two and three and head down the eastern tunnels towards sectors C and D. Robinson, take squads one and four. Head towards the auctioning ward in sector E. T'Soni, Lee, and Castillo— you're with me; everyone move, move, move!"

The tunnels were pitch black and Shepard was on high alert. The band of elite marines moved silently through the murky, dank tunnels of the underground biotic slave encampment. John tensed; he was unable to hear even the faintest of echoes from mercenaries, slave dealers, or freelancers. The time was only 2AM; it was still much too early for such men to all be completely asleep. Something wasn't right. The muscles in Shepard's cheeks flexed as his squad mutely closed the gap and moved towards their destination. It was a place referred to as 'the play pen'; a large room where the biotic children of younger ages were kept and guarded.

The tunnel began to brighten telling the small unit they had finally made their way towards one of the structures many exits. The commander raised his fist towards his squad, causing the small band to cease moving and keep silent in wait of further instruction.

Shepard inched forward, being sure to not slush the dirty water beneath his boots to give the slavers any hint of his intrusion. As he poked his head around the curve of the large pipe, John could see that the entirety of the large room was empty…save for one woman with shoulder length, chocolate brown hair standing directly in its center. She was wearing black combat boots that protected her calves and covered her knees, tight, cut up blue jeans, and a black vest that showed off her two full sleeves of tattooed arms.

John's gut turned to ice, the sense of fear escalating by a thousand as he made out the figure he had known so well. He gave his troop the order to stay put as he cautiously paced his way over towards the woman whose back was towards him.

"…Jack?"

The tattooed figure didn't turn around. Her voice was soft, as if what she had to say was only meant for his ears. "I always figured that if we met again… it'd be like this."

John's body stilled, her voice bringing back the flood of memories he had forced himself to repress. "…Jack, what are you doing here?"

"Doing the job I was hired to do."

John lowered his tone, "Jack, nothing has to happen today. I can escort you out of here…no one has to know—"

The grin in her voice was clear, "I see ain't nothin' has changed in these five years. You're still playing the hero huh, Shepard?" When John made no effort to reply Jack simply snorted.

John inched forward, "…Jack…please…just turn around slowly and make your way towards me. We can walk out of here if you just don't do anything stupid."

"Stupid? Like what?" The biotic cocked her head to the side in thought, "Like… this?" Jack finally turned. The years since she had left the Normandy's crew had been harsh on the biotic. New scars adorned her pale, gaunt face; the high, elegant cheek bones protruding even more so than usual. Her eyes were weary, the small bit of flesh beneath her hazel orbs were purple in color and slightly sunken in. It was the attachment around Jack's stomach that caught Shepard's attention most, however: a small cylindrical case that appeared to be made of platinum. A miniature receiver was placed on top of the canister, and a small blinking light adorned the opposite end.

Castillo in the background raised his laser sight at Jack's chest, "She's got an explosive device!"

"Hold your fire!" John spat, raising his hand towards the marine before quickly turning his gaze back towards the biotic, "God damn it, Jack! What the hell are you thinking!"

John witnessed as the biotic's face changed from being unfeeling to being saddened, her hazel eyes peering deeply into the commander's blue, "Remember what I told you back on the Normandy? Death is easy—fuckin' on and off switch; it's having to put up with everything else that's a bitch." The convict exhaled slowly and deeply, "It's been a damn long fight but I'm tired now, Shepard. Ain't nothin' left for me here so I figured why not do one more job… and go out with a bang?"

The biotic crept a hand down her thigh towards her pistol. John took quick notice and slowly extended his hand, "Listen to me…_please_. Jack, do you see that dot on your chest? Castillo back there is the best shot in the Marine Corps…and they have orders to shoot and kill all hostiles."

She looked over John's eyes and for the briefest of moments considered turning herself over, causing noticeable relief in the commander's stance. But when Jack moved her gaze to scan the man pointing his laser sight at her chest, she froze when catching glimpse of Liara instead, a newly found determination spreading across her features. Jack closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she responded, "…It's been fun, Shepard; and if there's such a thing as hell…maybe we'll meet again one day."

John turned his head to see what caused the convict's sudden shift in mood, his eyes widening as he turned back towards that tattooed woman. The biotic violently acted out as if trying to go for her gun causing the commander to scream and reach for the tattooed woman. "JACK, DON'T!"

Castillo took the convict's actions as hostile towards his commander and fired a single round out into the room. When the loud echo of the shot settled into silence John's legs collapsed and he fell to his knees, his armor clanking loudly as it struck the floor of the slaving base. Jack's normally lively, bright eyes had become wandering and lost, but as John emerged over her they seemed to have focused and locked with his own. Blood trickled from her mouth as she gave her best attempt to raise her head and whisper softly into his ear before her head rolled back and her body went limp, the radiance in her eyes dying out instantly.

John's eyes widened, his eyes trailing the length of her arm to notice the once tense fingers of her hand had relaxed and released their grip on a hidden trigger-switch, turning the quiet, solemn blackness of the room into a brightness that was louder than the sun.

"_There ain't no such things as happily-ever-after. Chumps like us weren't meant to last, Shepard. I told you that sooner or later… we'd end up killing each other."_

"JACK!" John eyes snapped open in a panic, his hands instantly and frantically searching around for the woman who had been sleeping by his side for more than six weeks.

She wasn't there.

His body was feverish; his skin sticky and damp despite the much cooler temperature of his quarters. It had taken the commander a while to calm his rapidly beating heart. He had thrown his legs over the edge of the bed and rested his elbows on top of his knees, rubbing his face roughly with the palms of his hand in attempt shake the dream from his memory. "Just a dream," John said in an attempt to soothe the anxiety he was feeling, "…it was just a dream."

The cabin was quiet for moments more before EDI spoke out into the room, "Commander Shepard, we have arrived at our destination. Dr. T'Soni and Specialist Vakarian are already waiting near the loading dock as instructed."

John sighed heavily and wiped the sweat that had formed on his forehead. "Thank you, EDI. I'll be down there in a moment."

"Of course, Commander."

* * *

**[ Hagalaz/ Shadow Broker's Base of Operations ]**

It had been an off day. Shepard was tired and his body ached everywhere. It had been a lengthy, intense battle just trying to get into the Shadow Broker's base. He could feel the heat that his body was generating underneath his N7 armor, the sweat that dampened his skin. His shoulder was sore, throbbing from where he had taken the full force of a rocket launcher. There had been a point in one of the battles where the number of mercs greatly exceeded the numbers of his squad, and the offending mercenary had taken his right flank by surprise. The rocket's explosion had depleted his shields completely, leaving him momentarily stunned and breathless. If it hadn't been for Garrus grabbing him by the breast plate and tugging him downwards to take cover, something far worse might have happened to the commander.

But now they were finally there; finally staring _the_ Shadow Broker in the eyes.

The Broker's voice was a deep, baritone growl, "Dr. T'Soni, your interference caused all this. Feron betrayed me when he handed you Shepard's body. The Drell is simply paying the price."

The commander grinned, "You know…It'll be pretty hard to run a base this size with no crew."

John could hear the tinge of spite that came out of the Broker's voice when he responded, "They're replaceable. Your arrival is barely an interruption."

"Someone was bound to come after you for working with the Collectors."

"It was a mutually beneficial partnership. Fortunately, the Normandy's IFF will let me salvage the remains of the Collector's base. But enough talk, my operations are too crucial to be compromised by a traitor."

Liara smirked smugly, "You're quite confidant for someone with nowhere left to hide."

"You travel with fascinating companions, Doctor. It's good you brought Archangel, T'Soni. Your friends' rather large bounty is still unclaimed." Replied the Broker, his voice calm and collected.

Liara's brows furrowed, "You're not putting a hand on anyone!"

"It's pointless to challenge me, asari. I know your every secret while you fumble in the dark."

"Is that right?" the asari tested, "You're a Yahg, a pre-spaceflight species quarantined to their home world for massacring the Council's first contact teams. This base is older than your planets discovery, which probably means that you killed the first Shadow Broker sixty years ago then took over. I'm guessing you were taken from your world by a trophy hunter who wanted a slave…or a pet." The malice in Liara's smile was clear as day, "How am I doing?"

Garrus' mandible twitched as the ten foot Yahg stood up and grasped it's chair, launching it easily towards the Turian who managed to successfully duck. "HA. You missed-" The sudden, sheer force of the Shadow Brokers rather large desk coming in contact with his face shut Garrus up quickly as he fell to the floor unconscious.

Shepard groaned and rolled his eyes, "Duck _and _weave, Garrus. Duck _and _weave."

Liara aimed her sights at the Broker's head, "...I warned you to not put a hand on anyone. Now... we end this."

The Yahg released a hair raising, throaty laugh as a bright orange shield formed from his omni-tool. Shepard raised his arms then let them flop down to his sides, "A shield? Who the hell uses shields anymore?"

T'Soni released an entire thermal clip at the orange barrier, not noticing a single change. "Shepard! The shield is kinetically sensitive, energy and projectiles are bouncing off!"

John grinned as he popped his knuckles, "...then time to go medieval on his ass."

Liara smiled at his word choice, "To become savagely violent without restraint. I would say the human colloquialism is appropriate."

"I thought you'd like that one."

* * *

**xxxxxxx**

Shepard crossed the room helping the now conscious Garrus up off the floor then turning to look at T'Soni, "I'd say you did pretty well with that little speech of yours, Liara—if your intention was to piss him off."

Garrus dusted off his armor as he glanced over at the now dead Yahg. "Aww…you had all the fun without me."

John grinned, "It's a little hard to include you when you're ass up on the floor. You ducked...but you forgot to weave, Vakarian. Did you have a nice nap?"

The Turian chuckled, "…It would have been better if your pink armor wasn't so irritatingly loud."

Shepard clenched his jaw, "You made it this color."

"…and you look so beautiful in it."

"I hate you."

Garrus grinned, "I think it has…"

Feron limped through the doors; his gun in one hand pointing towards what he thought would be the Shadow Broker, while the other was holding his side, his face clearly portraying his confusion and shock at Liara. "—Goddess of oceans…it's you…but how?"

Shepard and Garrus simultaneously looked at Liara.

T'Soni furrowed her brows in thought. Her tone was almost unsure about the large decision she had just made, "Well…e-everyone who's ever seen him in person is dead…so…"

"You're…the new shadow broker…?"

Garrus looked over towards the commander, "I don't know about this, Shepard."

John made his way over towards the asari with concern, "I agree. Is taking over as the Shadow Broker _really_ a good idea?"

Liara glanced over at the large information terminal, "It was either that or lose everything…his contacts, his trading sources. Those will really help us. With the Shadow Broker's information network I can…" her voice became thick with emotion, cracking and fumbling. "I can give you…I can—"

"—I'll… check the power systems." Said Feron quickly, noticing the need for Liara to have a private conversation with the commander. Garrus cleared his throat lightly before taking after Feron and following in his steps.

When the two left the room Shepard turned his attention back towards his old love, walking up towards the asari who had covered her face with her palms to quiet the gentle sob that surfaced from her tight throat. John placed a hand on her back, "…Liara…"

T'Soni wiped her eyes slowly and turned to face him, "…it's over…it's finally….for two years…"

John's actions were slow, his arms sliding around her waist and pulling the woman in for a warm hug. The reconnection between the two bodies was instantaneous, causing the asari to murmur lightly, pleasurably and John to tighten his hold around her. His voice was tender, loving. "…it's alright."

Liara leaned into John and rested her cheek against the nape of the commander's neck. His smell was well known and welcoming, bringing back the memories of a time when she had loved him dearly. Slender fingers ran up his back, re-familiarizing themselves with the curves and lean muscles that housed themselves under the tight flexi-weave of his armor. John inhaled deeply, thick fingers moving from her waist down to tightening their grip around her hips. Liara shuddered beneath his touch, tilting her head and leaning forward to press her soft lips against the commanders.

Shepard's eyes closed. His kiss was insistent, yet still slightly hesitant as his lips met Liara's fuller ones. John suckled her lower lip, and then stopped, waiting to see if she would respond. She did, pulling on his top lip gently, urging him on. Shepard obliged her, flesh moving sensitively and sensuously against flesh, the commander deepening the kiss, Liara's mouth opening in acceptance and moaning as his tongue swept around her mouth tentatively, then with more hunger. The sensation of this first invasion of her body threatened to curl her toes and Liara pulled away, looking at him with wonder and shock. "—goddess, Shepard," she finally managed to say, her voice shaky yet full of desire. "…I don't…we're different people now. You have your mission and I have—"

John interrupted, leaning in to place the tenderest of kisses on the asari's crest. His eyes closed once more, breathing in the intoxicating, lightly scented skin of Liara's more vulnerable area. The asari gasped and clutched at his chest, "…John…"

"I know," he said finally, removing his lips and looking down into her eyes, "…I know."

The pair stood in each other's quiet embrace for several long moments more before Liara could muster the will power to remove herself from his arms. "The attraction between us will always exist, Shepard. There will always be love for you in my heart…but with your mission and," Liara glanced around the base's information center, "…and me acquiring all of _this_…"

John nodded, smiling gently at the asari in front of him. "I know, Liara. I knew from the moment I first met you on Illium that we had both changed. I suppose I just…really, really missed you."

"I've missed you too, John…"

"—But," he said with a half-hearted but brighter tone in his voice, "you're right. You have this and I…" His voice trailed off, thinking of the woman who had won his heart over so completely that he suddenly felt guilty that he could ever kiss another in such a manner.

"…and you have _her_." Liara said softly, acceptingly yet with a trace of regret and loss.

"I do." He responded faithfully, "Liara…I—"

"You don't have to say it Shepard. I already know. So let's just try to focus..."

John nodded his head in understanding. "So, since we're keeping this ancient hunk of metal might as well see what we got…right?"

Liara smiled delicately and nodded, "Right. Let's see what our options are. There are no safeguards or user restrictions…it's like he never anticipated anyone but himself being here. And it's all ours."

"And you're _sure_ you wanna stay here?" John asked once again, looking around the now battered interior of the base's intelligence center.

"I have to stay here." The asari said almost apologetically, "We can't pass this up Shepard. All I wanted was to rescue Feron, but…is it wrong that part of me _wants_ this? With the Shadow Broker's network maybe I can help you. Maybe I can turn this operation into something…better."

John rubbed the stubble on his chin in quiet contemplation before nodding with a smile, "Well I can't deny that having this information could prove invaluable. As a matter of fact…there's a small problem I seem to be having with a mission Anderson sent the Normandy on. We've got no leads and…and I could really use all the intel I can get, Liara."

Liara thought silently for a moment, "If its information you're looking for, I'm almost positive I'd be able to find you the answers here. Just…give me some time to gather everything up and organize the files."

"That's fine," Shepard assured her, giving Liara a last, long look before deciding it'd be best if he left, "I'll wait back at the Normandy. Send me a message when you think you're up for the challenge."

"I'll do that, Shepard."

"Just…don't be a stranger this time, T'Soni."

"…small chance of that…oh and Shepard?"

The commander stopped, turning to look her over. "Liara?"

"That woman with the tattoos and anger issues…she loves you. Whether she has said it or not, she loves you very much."

John could feel the heat in his cheeks as he grinned and rubbed the back of head, turning to walk out of the room and towards the Normandy without response.

Liara exhaled softly, a broken grin spreading across her lips as she turned her attention towards the informational terminal. "…come back soon…"

* * *

**xxxxxxx**

**[Planet Watson/4PM]**

"That's it then, lass? You're just going to stay there?"

London's eyes fell to the ground, "I'm tired, daddy. I don't know what to do anymore…and Teagan is still in trouble—"

The tall, muscular man with golden hair and almost honey colored eyes sat down next to his daughter. "So you're just going to give up? That's not how your mother and I raised ye, child."

"Papa it's just—"

"What did your mum teach ye?"

The sniper nodded her head sadly, "To keep climbing and keep going. I know—"

"And what did I teach ye?"

She sighed softly, "…to be smart about it. Use my head and think."

He smiled kindly as he wrapped a thick arm around his slender daughter, "You have your answer…and you know where to look. You just have to _think._"

London groaned unhappily, causing the Irish man to bellow out in laughter, "We raised ye to be strong, London. You'll be fine…you always are and always have been."

The gray eyed woman leaned into the warmth of her father, "It's so hard without you here."

"Oh my little one, your mum and I are always here. You are the better parts of us both…made into one young, beautiful woman. When ye need us just look inward and there we will be. We've stored all the answers in our specially crafted little lion."

London wrinkled her nose, thoughts of both her parents being intimate making her a little queasy. "Did you just call me _specially crafted_?"

When there was no response she raised her eyes up to meet his, "Papa, I was kidding." She took notice of the change in his eyes. They had become alert and cold, "…what's wrong?"

His gaze was focused in a certain direction and he frowned suddenly. Her father tightened his hold and quickly placed a small kiss on London's temple as he gently shook her in his arm, "It's time to wake up, London_. They know_. It's not safe, you need to keep moving."

The sniper shook her head, "…Daddy?"

His tone became more urgent, "You need to wake up. Open your eyes. Wake up…"

"….wake up, Miss. Hey—hey are you alright? Miss, wake up!"

London's eyes flittered open upon the man's beckon,_ "…Daddy?" _Her vision was blurry and her head was pounding. The earth smelt wet and she was extremely cold, her body shivering uncontrollably as she laid on the damp soil. Gray eyes could make out the large stone at the head of a large grave and they instantly watered again, her mind retracing the steps she had taken to get to the point she was now. How long had it been since she collapsed near the burial ground and wept…?

A rough hand was placed on her cheek and forehead, "…aw damn, you're burning up. Come on; let's get you back to the house. We need to get you out of here."

The sniper groaned as she was lifted off the soil, her head resting on a broad shoulder as she was cradled in strong arms. "Don't worry, Miss. I gotcha. We'll take care of ya, my wife will know what to do."

London's throat hurt badly as she tried to speak through chapped lips, "…F…Frank? How?"

He chuckled softly as he carried the young woman towards his home, "Hey you remembered my name! And to answer your question I go to the grave every other day or so to say thank you and maintain the area. Plants grow fast around here…I don't want weeds to cover their resting place."

London could hear the wheeze in her breathing and could feel the sting in her chest as she tried to respond.

Frank shook his head and smiled, "Rest now. It's a long walk…we'll be there soon enough, just hang in there."

London exhaled and could feel her eyes grow heavy as her fever took over, the light of day becoming overwhelmed by the blackness of closed lids. Everything was so quiet now. She could hear a bird chip off in the distance; it was lovely and she badly wanted to smile. She could hear the sound of heavy boots crushing dried leaves and twigs beneath her. These steps were not her own. Then after several moments…finally there was softness and warmth pressed against her bare skin that calmed the ache in her chilled body. She could feel a hand push gently at the back of her neck and tilt it forward as the edge of a small container pressed against her lips.

"Drink this, sweetie. You'll feel better soon enough," the soothing voice of a familiar sounding woman said.

The brunette's face twisted and she released a cough as she swallowed the foul, lukewarm liquid down her throat, her body tensing then relaxing into the plush material beneath her. The older woman laughed quietly as she then placed a warm cloth on London's forehead, "…it doesn't taste the best, but it gets the job done. Your fever will break by tomorrow morning so you should rest until then. When your clothes dry properly I'll bring them in for you—and don't worry, no men were present when they were removed. I figured it may be better for you that way since we have the same womanly bits and all." The sniper gave a half-conscious grin as she felt the soft material of a comforter being tucked in around her own body.

"You've had a long day…sleep now. We'll see you in the morning."

* * *

**xxxxxxx**

**[The Normandy/ Cargo Hold/4PM]**

"…Jack?" Shepard said as he made his way down into the hold, his eyes needing to take a moment to adjust to the darkness of the room, "…Jack, are you down here?"

The response was simple, but not angry. "Hey."

John could feel something heavy be lifted off his chest when he heard the biotic's voice. She was sitting on her old cot; her face was calm and expressionless as the Shepard made his way over. "Can we talk?" he asked quietly.

Jack's refused to look at the commander and instead kept her gaze on a wall far opposite her seat. Her tone became a little more assertive when she finally decided to speak, "Did you figure your shit out?"

Shepard took a place beside the tattooed woman and nodded, "Jack I need to tell you something…"

The upper lip on Jack's mouth lifted into a slight curl, "it's a simple question, Shepard." She said, antagonizing him with slowly spoken words, "Did you figure… your shit… out?"

John exhaled loudly and nodded his head, "I did."

"…Just say it."

"Jack," he began softly, "I'm not going to lie to you and say that there wasn't an attraction between me and Liara," Shepard took notice of how hard the biotic was clenching the side of the cot and decided it was best if he got to the point quickly, "but both me and her are very different people now. We don't _fit well_ anymore—at least not the way we did two years ago. She's different and I'm different. We have dissimilar goals and expectations, and besides… I already _have_ someone." He said matter-of-factly. "Jack, I will always _care_ for Liara but…that's nothing compared to how I feel for you." John looked down at his hands; unsure of how she'd react to the words he wanted so badly to say, but knowing he needed to say them. "…I love you."

Jack clenched her jaw, a minimal amount of moisture forming at the base of her eyes. Her knuckles had become white from how hard she had been holding onto the cot. "…fuck you, Shepard."

John swallowed the dryness in this throat. He felt his heart beat wildly in his chest and his blood go hot. "Is that all you got? I said I love you, Jack."

The biotic's lip trembled as she pushed him away roughly, "Get the fuck out of here with that."

John took hold of her arms and held firmly, "No. You told me to figure my shit out and I did. I figured it out a long time ago and I'm going to say it whether you like it or not."

Jack yanked her arm back violently only to push at him once again, "I said get out of my fucking room, Shepard!"

The strength of Jack's push had forced the commander off the cot, only to have him stand smoothly on his feet and take place in front of the biotic. "Or what? You'll kill me?"

"Don't push me."

"Fine. Fucking take a hit at me. It's not going to change anything. I love you."

The biotic stood on the flat of her combat boots and inches away from the commander, her body glowing lightly. "I asked you to figure out who you wanted. Love ain't got nothin' to do with this, Shepard. I just wanted to know which bitch you wanted to _fuck_ more."

John's face twisted in anger, "That's not what you wanted and you _know_ it, Jack. Don't you dare pull that shit on me." He took a step forward, "You know, for such a badass all you seem to be doing is running scared."

Jack pushed violently at Shepard's chest, "You're a goddamned idiot, Shepard."

"Says the woman who wants to believe we're nothing more than really good fuck buddies even though she spends far more time cuddling her buddy than fucking him. So don't stand there and act like this is nothing."

Jack clenched her jaw, "You think this shit is easy for me?"

"And you think it's been all fucking ice cream and cotton candy for me! Jack, trying to be with you is like constantly trying to pull teeth and fingernails!"

The tattooed woman stopped, her eyes widening and mouth slightly hanging open. "So there it is… you just finally got the balls to say it. You want out, Shepard? Here's the goddamn opening you've been looking for. Go."

"No, Jack. That's not what I'm saying, that's you hearing what you want to hear to find an easy way out—like always. I love you, but I'm being honest when I say that this relationship wasn't easy to form by any means…but I worked, and worked, and worked, and got us somewhere. I _never_ backed down. It's _you_ that just doesn't have the balls to return the feeling. So before you go on to call me a coward, take a good long look at yourself… because the only pussy I see here is you."

Jack cried out as she smashed a biotic fist hard against Shepard's jaw, the force of the punch knocking Shepard flat against a wall with a sickening crash. The commander slid to the ground and took a moment to gather his wit before he got up again, "That the best you got?"

The tattooed woman's chest rose and fell heavily as she quickly marched over and unleashed a blow right into his stomach, the power behind it knocking all of Shepard's air out of his lungs as he fell to his knees. Jack didn't wait for him to catch his breath before bringing the tip of her steel toed boot to greet the side of Shepard's face which toppled him over. Standing upright Shepard couldn't help but groan as he covered his now bleeding ear with his hand.

Jack shook her head in disbelief as she stumbled backwards, "What the hell is the matter with you? Stay down!"

John chuckled tiredly and wiped his lip, "Stay down? You haven't won a damn thing, Jack. I'm just getting started."

"What the fuck are you talking about! You haven't done shit! Either hit me back or stay the hell down!"

"Nah. What's the fun in that, right? Besides…I've already done plenty. I can tell."

Jack froze, her head shaking from side to side. "You don't know what you're talkin' about. I must have kicked the hell out of your head."

John grinned, "Eh. Barley felt it."

Jack took a step back in disbelief, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Well," he said resignedly, "I figure you're either going to kill me, or realize just how much you love me back."

Jack closed both her hands into lightly trembling fists, "I fucking hate you, Shepard."

John winced as he took a few steps towards the cot and sat down on it with a loud groan, then looked up at her with a bemused smile. "Then I must look like an idiot sitting here and still loving you the way I do."

The biotic cursed an endless stream of obscenities before she finally made her way up towards Shepard, standing between his legs and looking down onto him pleadingly, "I sleep with you at night, I fuck you senseless in the day, and I kiss you back and mean it…what else do you _want_ from me, Shepard? I ain't got nothin' left to give."

John put his hands on either side of her hips and looked up with earnest eyes, "I want you to tell me."

Jack could feel herself losing the battle and tried so desperately to hold on to her emotions. She placed her hands on Shepard's face roughly and looked deeply into his bright blue eyes, her voice faltering, "…I fucking hate you so much."

John leaned into her hands as his thumbs caressed the soft skin of Jack's hips beneath them, "…why?"

"Because…" she said angrily, "Because…" she tried again, only to growl half-heartedly and motion to move away. Shepard stopped her movements, holding her firmly by the waist and forcing her to look at him. "Jack, tell me why you hate me."

The biotic felt as if her knees were about to buckle beneath her if it had not been for Shepard's hand holding her steady. Her breathing was heavy and she could feel the butterflies in the pit of her stomach as she opened her lips to speak, "I hate you because I fucking love you to a point of passion that unhinges me. It drives me bat-shit crazy."

John looked at her with wide, confused eyes and Jack couldn't help but release an unenthusiastic chuckle, "…what? I read shit too, Shepard. I've 'borrowed' some of the thief's poetry books. Kinda like that stuff."

A loud exhale came forth from Shepard's lips as he gently brought the willing biotic woman down to straddle his lap. He reached up to remove the moisture that had formed underneath her stunning and always bright hazel eyes, "…that's all I needed to hear. No more questions, I promise."

Jack wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned down to press her forehead against his, her eyes closing in the process. Shepard too closed his eyes and caressed the sides of her thighs as she sat upon him in silence. Moments passed by before the biotic reached to take his chin and tilt it upwards to place a kiss upon his lips, staining her own full lips with the commanders vivid red blood. Shepard hesitantly placed his warm hand over one of her much cooler ones, "Jack…I need to tell you something. Me and Liara…after we finished with the Shadow Broker…we—"

"I don't wanna' know." The ex-convict said flatly.

"Jack I need to tell you—"

"I said I don't want to know. But let's just make one thing clear. You wanna be mine? Fine. That means that," Jack looked down into his eyes, her face portraying a sense of severity and dominance. "this," she said, roughly reaching in between her own legs and grabbing John's crotch through his pants ,taking the member firmly into her hand, "…this…is _mine_, and I sure as hell don't fucking share what's mine, got it?"

Shepard winced but bit his tongue harshly in refusal of showing the pain Jack's motion had intentionally caused him…again. "Understood."

"...if she so much as _looks_ at you the wrong way again—I'll put a shotgun blast in the back of her fuckin' head. And you? If you ever so much as _think_ of her in that way—" Jack didn't have to finish the sentence, the sheer force she was using on the commander's sensitive organ was enough to get her point across, and John could only nod firmly and suppress the yelp that wanted to leave his lips.

It took a moment for the biotic to calm, but soon she released her grasp and looked down onto her lap. John's lips had turned into a thin line as he took the time to settle the knot his stomach had become and to ease the pain in his groin. After several moments, Shepard finally had to ask the question he had been wanting to all night.

"Jack…will you please come back to the cabin later tonight? It's been really," Shepard paused, thinking of a word that Jack would have used in this situation, "…._shitty_…sleeping without you."

Jack looked over to her commander with a questioning gaze, "Nightmares?"

He closed his eyes for a second, the haunting words from his dream echoing clearly in his head. _"There ain't no such things as happily-ever-after. Chumps like us weren't meant to last, Shepard. I told you that sooner or later… we'd end up killing each other."_

John sighed softly, looking up to give her a crooked, guilty grin, "…yeah. Bad ones."

Her brow furrowed as she looked back onto her lap, "Me too."

"So you'll come by tonight?"

The biotic shrugged as she slowly slid off John's lap, deciding to sit next to him instead. "I'll think about it."

Moments more had passed in silence and Shepard sighed loudly as he relaxed his back against the cool surface of the wall behind him. Instinctively he lifted his arm to which Jack naturally responded by slipping under it and leaning her small frame against his more muscular one. She placed her cheek on his chest and John couldn't stop himself from kissing her scalp. He could feel her finger tips dig into his sides as if clasping and never wanting to let go. John crumpled his eyebrows softly in sadness, "I'm sorry I put you through this…about Liara I mean."

The muscles in the biotic's cheeks flexed as she tightened her hold on him, "…just don't fuckin' do it again…and…sorry about kicking your ass."

"It's fine. You hit like a girl anyways."

"Yeah well, you ain't gettin' sex for a month after pulling all this shit on me."

"Yeah, yeah, ye—wait WHAT?"

[End Twenty: Forebodings]

* * *

"_Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest, and it opens up your heart, and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all these defenses; you build up a whole suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you. Then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life…and you give them a piece of you. They didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day…like kiss you or smile at you, and then…your life wasn't your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It hurts. Not just in the imagination. Not just in the mind. It's a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. I hate love."_

_-Neil Gaiman_

_**

* * *

**_**[[ A/N: The next few chapters might be coming in a lot slower than usual. About to graduate in December and I have a lot of stuff that I have to do till then! If you're curious to see what I'm up to check out my profile. I've been updating my story status there_ :D _****I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and feel free to leave a review. See ya next time! ]]**_  
_


	21. Information, Information, Information

_Disclaimer: The Mass Effect Universe and everything in it belongs to BioWare. I only lay claim to London and Teagan._

_

* * *

_

[Chapter Twenty-One: Information, Information, Information ]

**[Planet Watson/ 11AM]**

The night had passed by slowly much to the sniper's liking. The medicine she was given had helped her sleep in a way she had not been able to sleep like for years; calm, without dreams, without fear. There was simply blackness and silence. But now eyelids slowly fluttered open to reveal gray, groggy eyes. She could feel the softness of a mattress beneath her and noticed that her slender frame tingled all over, her senses numb and movements sloppy. The world was spinning, blurry and London had to close her eyes once more to still the muddled images and her quickly beating heart. She inhaled deeply, filled her lungs, and then held the breath for a few moments before releasing it loudly out into the room.

"Good morning. It's about time you woke up, sleepy head."

London shot up into a sitting position and wobbled from the head-rush, her long tresses flying forward and landing softly over her smooth, creamy shoulders. Quickly she reached down for the pistol that was no longer attached to her thigh as the blanket that covered her exposed body slid off into a crumpled puddle around her waist causing the young man to grin as he soaked in eyefuls of the beautiful dancer without shame.

The sniper somewhat calmed when she noticed he was unarmed and dressed like any other civilian—possibly a friend of the family currently living here? He was tall and lean with black, shoulder length hair that was tied back into a neat pony tail and had a small, well trimmed patch of hair underneath his lower lip. His eyes were sapphire blue and possessed a certain mischievous quality that London couldn't help but find attractive. Her tone, however, was unmistakably outraged at his intrusion, "Clearly you seem to have me at a disadvantage," she stated firmly, reaching down to grab the quilt and cover her chest. "Have you always had the habit of watching perfect strangers sleep?"

"I'm twenty-seven years old—I assure you that it's nothing I haven't seen _many_ times before."

"Well that's not incredibly pretentious at all, is it?" she said unimpressed, "I don't care for your age, for what 'you've seen', or for how many times you've 'seen it'; I only care that you are in my room when I do not want you to be. Leave. Now."

His eyes twinkled and his smile seemed to only widen, "Are you always so friendly?"

London eyed him harshly, "What are you doing in this room?"

"Do you always answer a question with another question?"

The brunette pinched the area in between her eyes and tried her best to keep her self-control. "Considering you're the one who's in a place he clearly should not be, I suggest for your own sake—"

A thick finger waggled at the woman in response, "Uh-uh. You're the one who barged into this house and pointed a gun at my father, mother, _and_ little brother. I'd say _you're_ the one who needs to start with the explaining."

London clenched her jaw and tightened her grip around the quilt she was holding, "I've already made my apologies, and I owe nothing to you. Now, if you'd be so kind as to leave. I would like to dress." She raised a slender arm and motioned to the door.

He crossed his arms and offered a charming, lop-sided grin. "Only if you tell me what your name is first."

"My name is none of your concern."

The tan man chuckled lightly as he pulled up a chair and sat down in front of the bed, "I guess I'll just have to sit right here then."

London's eyes narrowed, "Are you always such an ass?"

"Are you always so rude?"

"You're the one watching me as I sleep—naked!"

He laughed loudly, "Is it my fault that you decided to sleep naked?"

"I—" she groaned loudly through clenched teeth and covered her eyes, "I don't sleep naked, you little pervert. My clothes were wet, I was sick…and I had a fever and," she tried to think of her caregivers name but found that she never knew it, "…Frank's wife—I don't know her name…but she tended to me and," she suddenly halted, her gray eyes snapping up and glaring into his blue, "…why am I even explaining myself to you! Get out!"

The young man feigned hurt as he clasped at his heart and looked up into the heavens, "Oh my kingdom for this beautiful woman's name!"

London mentally cursed herself when she ended up half-smirking at his playful, moronic gesture. He smiled in return, giving her that lopsided grin that she found oddly and incredibly attractive. "So you smile after all!" he called out, "She's human! I was starting to think you were made up of all angry glares and hot air."

The brunette sighed unenthusiastically, "If I give you my name you'll let me dress in peace?"

"I'll tell you what," he responded light heartedly, "You seem uncomfortable with giving me your name so…what about a nick name or something of the sort? Would that make you feel better?"

London eyed him in quiet contemplation before agreeing to the deal presented, "Leo."

"Leo? Like astrology—"

"Like a lion. It's—" she sighed softly and rubbed her eyes, "look it doesn't matter what the name is. You said I could give you a nick name and I have. It's Leo. Now do you mind?"

He raised his hands in defense as he stood from his seat and made towards the door, "Then Leo it is. I'm Cavan."

**xxxxxxx**

**[Shadow Broker's Base/11AM]**

"This is incredible." Miranda gasped as she set up at one of the terminals Liara allowed her to work on. "There's just so much information—about everything! I mean look at this," she exclaimed as she opened several data files on the Cerberus organization, "The Shadow Broker has files on the Illusive Man. _The Illusive Man_, Shepard!"

John grinned as he placed a hand on the high spirited XO's shoulder, "It seems he's not as _illusive_ as he thought," he mused, nudging the operative playfully. "Get it?" he asked when noticing the second in command didn't even so much as smile, "… not as illusive as… nevermind. What do you have?"

"Honestly it's not very important," she confessed, "it's mostly just information on his recent magazine subscriptions—skyball of course, or his most current sexual liaisons. It's just impressive that they managed to get even that considering how vigilant he is about _everything_."

Shepard sat down on a chair next to Miranda as she typed away at the terminal, "Well, telling us who he slept with does us absolutely no good. What about funding? Try checking Cerberus' funding from the past few months and see if anything strikes you as odd."

Lawson did as instructed, her fingers effortlessly guiding through the Intel and organizing its data. "As usual, all of Cerberus' income is legitimate. They have several, well known businesses that bring in a considerable amount of income."

"What about payments made? Think you can find out about the mercs who attacked London? Were they on Cerberus' pay roll?"

Miranda's eyes scanned the information carefully, "Cerberus has always had mercenaries under their payment, Shepard. I can't see anything unusual there. It would take me a lot more time to pinpoint specifics. I would have to sort through endless amounts of data by dates and go from there."

"What was the year that Cerberus operatives broke into the Ascension Program?"

"The year was 2178, Commander," Miranda replied easily.

"London's father was one of those mercs wasn't he?"

"Yes."

"Maybe we can find out who he was, who he was partnered with, then make a cross reference to Cerberus' payroll today."

The XO thought quietly, "That …could work, I suppose."

"Well it's better than nothing. Start there and check the names of all the mercs and operatives that were hired to infiltrate, and then compare it to recent names under Cerberus' employment. If we're lucky we'll get something."

The Australian did as instructed and pulled up a countless number of files, sorting through the information based on date and location. "Seven names are under payment on the day Teagan was taken from Ascension." As Miranda started to look over the list her eyes widened with disbelief. Shepard took notice instantly and raised an eyebrow, "Is there a problem, Lawson?" When she did not answer Shepard looked onto her screen and gazed over the list. Out of the seven names, five were written as deceased. "…Miranda, what is it?"

"…Paul."

John clicked the first name on the list and pulled up his data record, "Paul Grayson? He's deceased."

Lawson inhaled lightly before forcing herself to come to her senses. "I'm sorry. I just…I knew him is all."

"How?"

"He was a leading Cerberus Operative. I was younger then and was assigned to work under him on a mission the Illusive Man explained as vital. After we completed the objective, I never saw him again. He left Cerberus only to be later found working for Aria T'Loak on Omega. The Illusive man sent out one of our best, Operative Kai Leng to collect him. After that…who knows what happened."

"What was the mission?"

Miranda was hesitant to speak but the firm gaze Shepard was giving her left her with little choice in the matter. "Okay Shepard, please remember that I did this as a Cerberus Operative. I had an obligation to the Illusive Man if I wanted to keep my job and Oriana safe."

"Lawson, I'm not judging you. I know perfectly well who and what you were—and I also know it is not who you are now; so just tell me."

She tucked a strand of raven hair neatly behind her ears as she looked into the commander's eyes, "Under Grayson's leadership and the Illusive Man's order we sabotaged starships over colony worlds to release dust-form element zero. The worst of these was over Yandoa, Teagan's place of birth."

John squint his eyes, "The Ashland Energy vessel?" he thought, "That's how you connected the dots so quickly, wasn't it? You figured out were Teagan was from because…"

"It was our doing, Commander."

He was silent for a moment more before he leaned over to expand Grayson's file, his eyes slowly reading over all of the information. "I understand. If you feel the need to speak more of this matter, know that my door is always open."

Miranda could only nod in response.

As John began to read his eyes widened in disbelief, "…holy shit. I think the Shadow Broker has a dealer that works within the Cerberus Network."

It was Miranda's turn to raise her brow as she turned her attention back towards the terminal, "What?" she asked in skepticism, azure eyes beginning to quickly read the profile.

_[Information dealer ID: Z9IK8743]_

_Report #209/ Target Subject: Paul Grayson/ Year: 2178_

_Target was kidnapped by Operative Kai Leng. Illusive man gave orders for scientists to implant him with untested Reaper technology as an experiment and study of indoctrination._

_Report #210/ Target Subject: Paul Grayson/ Year: 2178_

_The Illusive man has made a direct order to terminate the target when all information on Reaper experiment has been gathered. Subject has proved too dangerous to let live._

_Report #211/Target Subject: Paul Grayson/ Year: 2178_

_The Turian Hierarchy has attacked and Grayson has escaped and made it to Jon Grissom Academy. Operative Kai Leng, Dr. Sanders, and Admiral Anderson are now in pursuit._

_Report #212/ Target Subject: Paul Grayson/ Year: 2178_

_Kai Leng has executed Grayson, however Anderson has secured the body and has made plans to autopsy in attempt to study the Reaper technology in hopes of learning how to fight the Reaper threat._

_Report #213/ Target Subject: Paul Grayson/ Year: 2178_

_The target is now deceased and our contract has been fulfilled. _

_Till our next arrangement, Shadow Broker._

_Best regards,_

_Information dealer: Z9IK87433_

Miranda stared at the terminal, "Both the Alliance and Cerberus have been studying indoctrination technology, Shepard."

Shepard's brows furrowed, "Check the information dealers' I.D. number. Who is it?"

Lawson worked quickly in attempt to bring up the profile. "You were correct, Commander. The Broker does indeed have a dealer within the Cerberus network, an Operative Ali Jenssen," Miranda scoffed, "She's been dealing right under the Illusive Man's nose for this long?"

John nodded his head, "We're not going to mention this to anyone—Illusive Man included. Liara's ability to exchange information directly with a Cerberus Operative could prove invaluable. Our relationship with the Illusive Man is on shaky ground right now. I don't know how this Ali Jenssen is doing it, but she is—and we're taking what we can get."

"Of course," she agreed instantly.

"Now, who are the other six names on the list?"

Lawson closed Grayson's profile and brought up the list of names that infiltrated the Ascension Program once more. "Let's see, we have: Operative Paul Grayson (deceased), Mercenary Roy Rodriguez (deceased), Mercenary Linda Hemelton (deceased), Mercenary Sheadon O'Conner (deceased), Operative Matthew Ali'ak (deceased), Mercenary June Sanders, and Mercenary Shaw C. Riley."

John grumbled lightly as he rubbed his face roughly, "How are we supposed to know which Merc was London's father? What the hell is London's last name? She never told us anything!"

Miranda thought quietly as she unconsciously nibbled on her lower lip. "I think we're looking for…Sheadon O'Conner."

Shepard stared at her, "What makes you think that?"

"Well…in honesty it's just a guess but…I think it's a really, really good one."

John looked at her, his expression seeming to demand something more concrete. "Lawson, I'm not about to spend another three hours digging around hundreds of thousands of files because you're basing our next step on a 'really good guess'. It's not that I don't trust you, but you gotta' give me something to work with here."

Miranda sighed heavily as she leaned back into the cushion of her seat and rubbed her tired eyes, "Of course, Commander. I… have this little jewelry box in my office and it has three initials on it."

Shepard blinked blankly, "What the hell does your initialed jewelry box have to do with any of this?"

Miranda tried to act as casually as possibly when she responded, "It was London's jewelry box. It had the initials 'L.E.O' engraved into the bottom. Out of all of these names, only one man has a last name that begins with the letter 'O'."

John raised a brow and smiled, "She left her jewelry box in your room?"

Lawson shrugged with studied indifference, "I was in the Medical Bay when it was most likely left. I have no idea what it was doing there."

Shepard observed her painfully neutral and very business like expression before deciding it best to not push the subject, "Alright then, let's check out this Sheadon O'Conner. Bring up his file."

**xxxxxxx**

**[Planet Watson/1PM]**

The afternoon was going by rather pleasantly much to London's surprise. She had spent the last few hours conversing with the young, handsome man known as Cavan. Now they were in the kitchen laughing lightly as they prepared their lunch.

"I'm glad you decided to stay for the day at least. It gets lonely around here when the family is out for business."

"I had a question about that," London said easily as she chopped a large tomato on a cutting board.

"Shocking."

The brunette laughed softly and shook her head, "I'm being serious… I've been curious as to why you weren't here when I…you know…"

"Scared my family half to death?"

London frowned sadly, "Yes...that."

Cavan sighed as he chopped up a head of lettuce, "Hey—it's alright, really. Well, I mean it's not alright but…you didn't know. You come back to your home after I don't even know how long and find another family just took it over. I wouldn't know what to think either."

The statement seemed to ease the tension in the sniper's body, "So how come you weren't here?"

"I was at a colony pretty far from here selling the first of our two batches of oranges."

She nodded softly, "And where is your family now?"

Cavan grinned as he chopped away, "Selling the second batch."

As London diced up the large, red vegetable in her hand she curiously raised a brow, "Does your family always take your little brother on such long business trips?"

"Joseph? Aw heck, he loves going to the colony; all those sights, people, and colors? He goes crazy for that stuff." Cavan's eyes moved from the head of lettuce and suddenly looked onto the brunette, "…Do you have any siblings?"

London froze as she thought about her little sister. It had been a while since she had gotten in contact with her via terminal and was sure the little girl was probably going crazy with concern. If she had known this man a little better she might have dashed off to grab her PT and send a vid-message to ease Teagan's worry, but her protective nature kicked in and decided it would be best if she kept her little sister a secret. "I do not," she replied coolly, "I'm afraid I was an only child, much to my regret."

He reflected on her statement before his tone lightened up, "Really now? That's a shame. You missed out on all the diaper changes and vomit."

London rolled her eyes and grinned, "Remind me to mourn for such a loss later."

He threw a large, green leaf at the sniper's arm teasingly, "Oh I will! Believe you me that I will remind you to mourn for the loss of vomit and dirty diapers."

Gracefully the brunette caught the leaf in her slender fingers and brought it to her mouth to take a bite, an alluring smile coming to her lips afterwards.

Cavan must have taken her actions as flirtation because as he watched her slowly moving mouth, his own lopsided, mischievous grin came to fruition.

London cleared her throat and resumed to her duty of dicing vegetables, "Cavan is an Irish name, is it not?"

The raven haired man chuckled lightly and nodded his head in agreement. "It is. Why do you ask?"

"Oh it's nothing" she said innocently, "my father was Irish."

"Hey mine was too! You and me have so much in common," he continued to tease, causing London to throw a baby carrot at his face. He wasn't so graceful to catch it however and soon found the small, pointed object hitting him straight in the eyeball. Cavan yelped and covered his eye, soon laughing off the embarrassment and swatting the apologetic London away. "Its fine, its fine" he said through a brilliant smile, "you're not a real man until you take a baby carrot to the eye socket and live."

London laughed as she cupped his face roughly on each side, squishing his cheeks and lips together in attempt to hold him down. "Just stand still, will you" she demanded, looking over his eye which was now watery and a light pink, "It's irritated."

His eyes narrowed playfully as he spoke through his squished lips, "…that makes two of us."

"Ugh," she mused, pushing his face away then turning to combine all the vegetables with the now diced lettuce. "Are you ready for lunch?"

He grinned, "As long as you're not throwing it in my general direction then yes, I am."

The sniper picked up another baby carrot and wiggled it at Cavan in false threat, "Don't tempt me."

Cavan raised both hands in surrender and walked towards the dining table to take his seat opposite the brunettes. He kept his mouth shut and watched as she began to move as if it had always been routine. London effortlessly set the table, setting a plate in front of each seat regardless that there were only two people present. Soon after and once the utensils were placed properly, the brunette set the food in the center of the small dining table before taking her seat opposite the sapphire eyed man. She smiled to some extent as she leaned over to serve him first, only stopping to fill his plate when his large hand gestured her that she had served more than enough. "I'm sorry" she said, "Eating at this table just brings back memories. My father used to sit in that seat and he wasn't one for light eating, so I apologize if I've given you too much."

Cavan offered her an understanding grin as he dressed the abundance of salad on his plate, "Oh it's not a problem at all. I'm not exactly a light eater myself so this portion size is fantastic…especially since its salad."

London chewed slowly and swallowed before responding, "You don't like salad?"

"Oh I love salad, but usually I eat it as an appetizer before I eat something…bigger."

"Let me guess… you're a steak eater."

He chuckled lightly, "Guilty."

London suddenly thought of a certain raven haired, azure eyed beauty who shared his similar taste in cuisine. She smiled softly at herself, "I seem to be meeting a lot of those as of late."

**xxxxxxx**

**[Shadow Broker's Base/1PM]**

Miranda groaned lightly as she reached upwards to stretch out her arms and back, taking the moment to pop her neck from side to side as well. Shepard rubbed his eyes and sat back into his chair, "Alright, we've been staring at this thing for two hours. What do we have?"

"Sheadon O'Conner has worked for Cerberus on numerous occasions, his biggest feat however being the infiltration of the Ascension Program. He was labeled as both missing and as a threat only days after the completion of the mission—I'm assuming this is when he stole Teagan."

John leaned into the terminal and browsed the data, "Let's see…it say's he went silent for months afterwards, in which Mercenaries June Sanders and Shaw Riley were sent to retrieve data then terminate the target."

Lawson shook her head, but found the information to hold little shock value. "Even if London's father had given them the data and child, the Illusive Man…"

"…had sent them to terminate O'Conner regardless."

Miranda sighed softly before looking up at the terminal, "Looks like we found who London's farther was partnered with…let's see if we can pull up any information concerning these two mercs."

John nodded his head and watched as she worked quickly, his eyes scanning the names on the terminal. "There he is—one more up…there." Shepard took his seat once more near the XO. Miranda brought up both profiles, "June Sanders is not only the older of the two, but by far more experienced than Riley."

"Still employed by Cerberus?"

Lawson nodded, "Still employed. _Both_ are actually—though Riley had been taking more assignments these past two years."

"Why is that?"

"Who knows, Commander. This June Sanders is about Zaeed Massani's age now, so while still very capable, perhaps he's built up enough of a rep to be extremely selective. Shaw Riley however is still quite young—younger than _us_."

John raised a brow, "Why so young?"

"Apparently he's just very adept in combat and communications, Shepard. He was brought on as a mercenary the same year Ascension was infiltrated. I believe that was actually his first mission under Sanders' training and the Illusive Man's watch."

Shepard nodded his head, "So what have Mr. Sanders and Mr. Riley been up to as of late?"

Miranda viewed the most recent data and shook her head, a frown coming across her brows. "…nothing."

John eyeballed the XO, "What do you mean nothing?"

"I mean that Cerberus hasn't paid them to do anything for about seven weeks now."

Shepard shook his head, "That can't be right. London was only attacked a few weeks ago."

Lawson moved her chair farther to the side so that the commander could look over the information, "Be my guest."

John eagerly took the space over and scanned the information over once more, "I don't get it. These mercs have to be the guys after London."

"Why is that, commander?"

"Because that guy Flex down at Afterlife on Omega said that the merc who noticed London's picture had known her father—old friends is what he said. Mercs that take on such risky missions don't have friends—if anything they have partners, employees—but not friends."

Miranda exhaled loudly as she paced slowly in thought, "So we have two mercs after London who are looking for Teagan and her father's terminal—correct?"

"Right."

"The only ones who wanted the data on London's father has been Cerberus…right?"

"Right."

Lawson rubbed her eyes, "This makes no sense. I mean it's been years since anything else has been done about the matter. Why suddenly act now? If this information was so bloody important why would the Illusive Man simply stop the search for the data that implicated Cerberus in the first place?"

John shrugged, "I'm guessing since O'Conner was killed, the Illusive Man found it okay to stop the search as seeing no information had been released."

Miranda shook her head, "That's not how he works, and he wouldn't simply let London, a liability, walk away. Unless…"

"Unless?"

Lawson paused, "Unless both Sanders and Riley reported back that the _entire_ family had indeed been killed."

"You think the mercs would have intentionally not told the Illusive Man that both of O'Conner's daughters had gotten away?"

Miranda nodded, "I think they thought themselves as smart and found a gray area. The main target _was_ O'Conner, and he _was_ killed—so why mention anything about the daughters to being with? Simply tell the boss that everyone was killed thereby destroying all threatening information. It would have been a big paycheck loss had they not fulfilled the mission. And knowing the Illusive Man, while he would have labeled killing Teagan as an unnecessary loss—the act of saving Cerberus' name from being implicated would have been worth it in his eyes. After all, the Ascension Project was just an experiment and all those children were merely test subjects to ensure growth in humanities biotic strength."

John inhaled deeply as he tried to place the puzzle pieces together, "So let's get this straight. Cerberus was the only one who wanted the data and child, but when O'Conner was taken out the search stopped. But NOW, someone has begun the search on biotic children all over again. We've checked these two mercs out—and they've not been employed by Cerberus for a while now—so it wasn't them who ordered London's capture."

"Correct, Commander."

"So that can only mean that we have another player. If the Illusive Man doesn't even know about London, then he isn't the one giving these mercs the orders. We have to find out who they're working for."

Miranda threw her hands up in the air, "So basically we're back to square one."

John shook his head, "Not at all. We have the galaxy's largest information broker on our side—and we have the names of two men who work for the source we're tracking. I think it's time we ask Liara for a little favor."

**xxxxxxx**

**[Planet Watson/3PM]**

"Alright what's going on? You napped for fifteen minutes and now you're rummaging through this shed like a mad woman. What's worse is it's starting to rain pretty hard again and you _just_ got better from being sick. So cough it up—tell me what's going on."

The sniper shook her head, "I already told you that it's difficult to explain."

Cavan rolled his eyes and smiled, "So try your best."

London exhaled loudly as she sat back on her heels, "It's weird, alright? I had a dream about my father and I suddenly just woke up remembering what I have to do."

He raised a brow, "Have to do?"

"Look I told you this is complicated. It's best if you just don't get involved."

"You've been ripping this house and shed up for about two hours now," Cavan mused with a large smile. "Are you _sure_ that you don't want me to help you? I could make your life so much easier if you'd just tell me."

London growled softly as she went through all the packages stuffed inside the small shed behind the old house, "Thank you but no, Cavan."

"What is it that you're looking for anyways?"

The brunette sighed loudly as she tossed aside another box, "Just something that belonged to my father. I need it to continue on my way."

Cavan leaned against the shed's doorframe, "So if you find what you're looking for you'll leave?"

London nodded her head, "That sounds about right, yes."

Cavan tilted his head to the side grinned, "I kind of hope you don't find what you're looking for then."

The brunette turned to eye him and shook her head, "Go figure."

He laughed loudly and shrugged in mock defense, "Oh what? Can you blame a guy for being smitten?"

London's tone and gaze was suddenly very serious when she stood up and turned to face him, "Don't be. Cavan…" she sighed lightly, deciding to lighten her tone noticeably, "…I don't know you and you really don't know me—I think it'd be best if it stayed that way, alright?"

Cavan nodded his head slowly, "Aaaah I see. Is there a Mr. Leo waiting for you somewhere?"

The brunette couldn't help but smile as she shook her head, "As a matter of fact there is no 'Mr. Leo', no."

"So you're not seeing anyone?"

London turned to rummage through another box, "What does it matter?"

"Oh it matters quite a bit. It means I still have a chance!"

London frowned as she worked, "You never give up, do you?"

He shook his head and definitely crossed his arms over his chest, "Never, and it usually ends up in me getting what I want."

"Well you better start getting used to disappointment. Besides…just because I'm single doesn't mean that I'm not interested in anyone."

Cavan's smile fell, "So you're waiting for someone?"

"…it's complicated."

The bright eyed man scoffed, "Is there anything _uncomplicated_ about you!"

London laughed as she walked out of the shed and back into the house with Cavan in hot pursuit, "Actually...no, there isn't. This is why you should just take me as I am; as a guest in your newly acquired house who will be leaving shortly."

The sound of a sharp whistle coming from the kitchen caught London's attention causing her to turn her head in the direction and raise a brow. Cavan charmed her with his grin once more before turning to walk through the kitchen door, "What? It's raining. Hot tea goes great with the constant rain and cold weather around here."

London waited for him to leave before observing the living room, _"Damn it, daddy. Where the hell is your terminal? It wasn't behind the loose board in the shed where you usually put it; it wasn't in your bedroom, and it's not in the secret cupboard in the kitchen."_

"Are you alright?" Cavan's voice interrupted as he extended a large, red cup in her direction. "Careful, it's hot."

London took the cup and looked into it to view its contents. The liquid was lighter in color and she could smell a slight tang in its aroma. "What kind of tea is this?"

Cavan grinned goofily, "Orange tea—go figure."

The sniper chuckled, "Your family certainly does like the fruit I must admit."

"Well it's a fruit that's done a lot for us. But drink up before it gets cold."

London nodded and took a long, slow drink of the relaxing liquid before setting the cup down onto the coffee table. "I'm going to go back out to the shed and check around just one more time."

"That's fine," he agreed, "I think I'll stay here and read a little bit what with the rain and all."

"Alright" she responded with ease, slipping through the back door and making her way towards the shed once again.

**xxxxxxx**

**[Shadow Broker's Base/ 3PM]**

Liara had pulled Shepard aside to speak with him, her hand resting gently on his forearm, "I assure you Shepard, that whoever has hired these two specified mercenaries has not used the Shadow Broker's resources. This 'Buyer' is either already extremely well informed on the subject he's dealing in, or simply has another means of gathering information."

Shepard looked her dead in the eye, "I don't see how they could be dealing so carefully that none of the Broker's contacts have made…well…contact."

"Shepard, perhaps the 'Buyer' knows exactly what it is that has to get done and no longer needs to deal information. Perhaps they've managed to already gather all necessary information over the years and under the radar, and are only acting now because he or she feels prepared enough to do so. I mean there are endless possibilities."

John closed his eyes and took the asaris' hands into his own tenderly, "Liara just please tell me you found _something_."

Liara nodded, "I have, John. Through several resources I've managed to find several information dealers who have worked under the mercenaries. It seems even one Mr. June Sanders and one Mr. Shaw Riley has needed some help gathering information on their target. I've managed to make a deal and have acquired their current objective and location."

"What's the objective?"

"If I am correct they're looking for someone; a woman who is believed to have data that they want. It's not much but—"

Shepard placed a hand upon her shoulder, "It's _plenty_. Thank you very much, Liara."

The asari was hesitant but soon returned the gesture with a kind smile, "I've uploaded the coordinates of both mercenaries to the Normandy. One of them has recently returned to Omega and the other is on a colony planet a few days travel from this system. I hope you find who and what you're looking for, John."

Shepard nodded his head in thanks then turned to walk towards the docking station with a stern expression, "Pack it up Lawson, we got em' and need to move _now_."

The XO quickly jogged to his side, "Commander," Miranda mused, "we've been here all afternoon with no sense of life threatening urgency until now. What did Dr. T'Soni say?"

"We have the location of both mercenaries, but their target isn't data…it's a woman; and they're most likely already closing in."

"…a woma—oh my God."

Shepard nodded his head as he quickened his pace, "With Teagan being in a highly secured facility, I believe their target is London. They found her."

**xxxxxxx**

**[Planet Watson/3:15PM]**

London had to stop her movements a few times to regain her balance as she hovered over the mass of opened boxes and clutter in the shed. Her vision had become slightly blurry and she found herself rubbing her eyes quite often to clear the white fog in her sight. After a moment more and deciding it would be best if she got up to walk, she wobbled to a standing position and exited the shed out into the rain. She turned her face upwards to gather a few of the cold raindrops into her eyes and resumed to rub in the water once more hoping that it would help.

"Ah, the book was boring. I'd much rather spend my time being yelled at by you" Cavan called out casually behind her.

London paused and turned around. She could make out the blurry figure walking towards her and she rubbed her eyes once more. "Whoa, you don't look so good. Are you feeling okay? What are you doing out in the rain?" Cavan asked as he reached out to steady the woman.

The sniper shook her head lightly as she blinked, "It's…my eyes keep blurring."

He raised a brow, "Well that doesn't sound good. Are you still tired?"

"A little in all honesty; but it's okay…it goes away after a moment."

"Are you sure? Maybe you should rest. I could—"

"I'm fine, Cavan."

The young man shrugged, "Alright then, if you insist. But will you at least come back in? It's freezing out here."

London turned back towards the door, "I suppose so."

Cavan motioned to the door, "…right after you."

The brunette considered him for a moment before walking into the house and having Cavan enter and shut the door behind them. "So" he asked, "…want to—okay now you're really not looking good."

London wobbled, her body feeling increasingly weak as she began blinking away the progressively thicker fog. "Cavan, I think something is wrong."

He leaned over and placed both hands on her shoulder, "What is it, London?"

The young woman's entire body froze as her name was called out into the stillness of the living room, "…what did you call me?"

Cavan inhaled a hiss as he dropped his hands back to his side, his voice soft and sounding almost as if he was scolding himself. "Shit. And here I was thinking that I'd be able to play nice for at least a few hours more."

The sniper tried her best to control her balance and steady her calm demeanor as her once focused, gray eyes became expressionless. Her heart sped up as the light of the afternoon sun succumbed to the darkness that the drug forced upon her vision.

London was blind.

[End 21: Information, Information, Information ]


	22. Stumbling in the Dark

**[A/N: This chapter is shorter than what you might be used to, but I guarantee that it'll pack a punch. With that said:**

**WARNING: 'Stumbling in the Dark' contains graphic violence. (I say graphic just to be safe). If you are easily offended, I suggest you simply do not read. =(  
**

* * *

[Chapter Twenty-Two: Stumbling in the Dark]

** [Planet Watson/3:15PM]**

"_Fight it. God damn it, fight the drug. Do not fall…asle…" _The brunette inhaled sharply as she spoke to herself, her heart pounding loudly in her ears and making it hard to even hear her own thoughts. She extended her fingers over her nose and across her closed eyelids to make a mental note, _"Okay…eyes are closed,"_ then slowly opened her eyes to reveal that nothing had changed. It was still dark. "What did you do to me?" she called out into the stillness of the room. "Cavan?"

When there was no reply the sniper scowled, "Answer me!"

The voice that finally replied to her was self satisfied and arrogant, "…it must be _terrible_ to be in your position; not knowing if someone is here…or if it was just the wind playing a trick on your hearing and making this shitty house creak."

London grinned as she stood still in the center of the living room, "I knew you were here."

"Oh?" he replied coolly, the amused tone in his voice mocking her.

"Why of course. Only varren seem to give off that distinct odor. It's kind of hard to miss you—even when blind."

The earlier dark amusement vanishing from his voice Cavan sneered at the sightless sniper, "I'd watch my mouth if I were you. You see London, in maybe half an hour at most the drug's full effects will hit you. It's called Blindweed—I crushed a little and put it into your tea. It starts with the vision then ends with long unconsciousness. So try your best to be good, hmm? I'd hate to have to do terrible things to such a pretty body."

London fanned the fire, "That's pathetic. Can't get me while I'm in my own senses, so settle for having me while unconscious and blind? What? Scared I might find out about that little dick you have?"

The brunette heard five heavy footsteps come towards her and she grinned now knowing where he was. When she felt the small waft of air and smelled the faint aroma of his overpriced cologne, London lunged forward and rammed her forehead straight into Cavan's nose. He yelled, stumbling backwards and grasping the now tender tissue, straightening it with a loud pop. "Guh! You broke my fucking nose!"

The sniper laughed, stumbled sideways then tried her best to regain her balance. Her world was not only dark, but now it was spinning as well from the sheer force of the blunt contact, "I don't need my sight to kick your ass."

Cavan growled as he moved forward again and took advantage of the woman's lack of balance. He backhanded her across the face with such force the sniper couldn't stop from landing onto the floor with a loud thud. "Learn your fucking place," he spat before taking a large breath and retying his pony tail in an attempt to fix his disheveled appearance. "Now look what you did," he said as he looked down onto the brunette whose split lip was bleeding. "fucked up my hair, broke my nose—it'll take a while for the bruising to go away."

London could feel her mind slipping into unconsciousness as she held onto the only small thing she could focus on, the sting she felt in her lip and in her eyes. The pain was insignificant, but it was enough to make her aware of her body. If she could continue to feel the sting, and continue to keep him talking she'd be okay. "So tell me, _pretty boy_—who are you?"

He scoffed lightly, "I'm the last person you'll ever see—just be grateful that I'm a looker at that. Besides, you already know my name. Well, part of it anyways. Cavan's the middle name."

London groaned as forced herself back into a standing position, her posture wobbling gently like a buoy at sea. "My kingdom for this arrogant ass's name," she mocked.

Cavan grinned, "Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters," she replied casually, "I need to know who the man I'm going to kill as soon as my sight returns is."

The young mercenary was quick to release a booming laugh, the sudden noise making the sniper's body jump. "You know London you have spunk so I'll tell you two small little facts: One—you're sight is not coming back… so sorry" he added with venom mockery, "and two— the name is Shaw Cavan Riley. I'll be the guy torturing you for information. It's a pleasure to meet you. And don't be so shocked, you're not the only good liar in this universe." He added offhandedly, "I mean come on…saying you don't have a little sister? Smooth. If I were regular ol' joe-shmo I might have believed it too. However I'd like to clarify that I wasn't kidding when I said I was interested in you—I mean look at your body!" he said, only to laugh when London spat out in his general direction, "That was _so_ not lady like."

"Go to hell. _Don't fall asleep…don't fall asleep—_so, why not just get it over with hmm? All this 'big man' talk about knowing about me and wanting information—why not just do it?"

If London would have had her vision, her stomach would have twisted at the sight of Cavan's sick, menacing grin, "…because I like to play with my food before I eat it."

The sniper felt her heart thump loudly in her chest. He was toying with her emotions and London knew it. He was the kind of man that liked to play with the emotions of his target, "…someday the habit will choke you."

"Cute. Look, I'll make this easy for you to figure out. I'm here because someone who's paying a lot of creds needs something of your fathers. It holds some vital information on a certain child he's taken considerable interest in. I believe you know her as Teagan? So…you tell me where it is and we call it a job well done."

London's face contorted into anger, "If you so much as touch a hair on the top of her head I'll kill you, do you hear me? I'll fucking kill you, I swear I will."

Cavan laughed easily out into the small living room, "London, London, London. When are you going to learn that you're not in a position to make threats? You see, you'll find that unlike some of the other unlucky bastards who have underestimated you in combat…I won't be one of them. I know about you. I know how O'Conner trained you, how good of a shot you are—how skilled with a knife you are. I know it all. So I'm not going to fight with you, London. There's no fun in fighting a blind girl. Okay—well there might be a little bit of fun in fighting a blind girl, but not nearly enough. Anyways, that's why I set this whole thing up."

"You're a coward."

Cavan walked around the perfectly still standing woman like a vulture, "No I'm not a coward…I'm smart. Why fight when you can avoid it all together? Let's have a one question pop quiz, shall we? What's the one thing a sniper needs besides that happy little trigger finger?"

London clenched her jaw and Cavan beamed while responding to his own question, "Aw come on! You know the answer! It's their vision, silly. You can't fuckin' shoot anything without your eyes. Can't stab anything either. So doing this to you saves having to clean up the mess, and from getting both of our pretty faces scarred up. Well…mine anyways."

"What makes you think I can't kill you without my vision? I just broke your damn nose." she retorted, her upper lip slightly curled in distaste.

"You are a feisty one aren't you! I _like_ it. And that was my stupid fault, sadly. I forgot how smart you are. You know I take pride in the way I look—and you used it against me. That won't happen again. And maybe in some twisted alternate reality you'd be able to kill me without your sight but…this is very much the real world, and I highly doubt you'll be able to fight while unconscious. I know you can feel that tingle in your body, the weakness in your legs, and the heaviness in your breathing. You'll be out like a light in just a few moments more. And when you are? I'll move you onto the kitchen table and tie you down. Sorry, London. This isn't one you're going to be winning today."

Just as soon as he had spoken the words London could feel the numbness in her legs yield to the drug and collapse underneath her. She swayed as she kneeled on the wooden floor before falling on her side, "_Stay awake…stay awake…keep…talking…"_

Cavan kneeled down next to her lightly quivering body, "I have to hand it to you, London. I've never seen anyone hold out this long against the drug. I'm actually quite impressed."

"What… happened to the family… that was living here?" she managed to breathe out, her consciousness barley intact.

Cavan rolled his eyes, "Jesus Christ you ask so many questions! I don't know how I've had the patience to put up with it all day. But because I'm in a good mood I'll tell you. I had just gotten word on your location and when I arrived you were sound asleep. Like I said, I'm not one for unnecessary confrontation so I found an alternative method to my problem. Frank—the guy you _apologized_ to, the guy you _let live_, sold you out for nothing more than one hundred and fifty credits. Of course after he had gathered his family up and started to make off with my creds—I decided 'Hey, who the hell am I kidding? Taking my money is so cause for confrontation.' So, I shot him in the back of the head."

"You son of a bi—"

"Hey now! No need for language. Don't worry about it; I didn't kill the other two. Dear old Catalina and her little boy Joseph are gagged and hog-tied near your ma and pa's grave. I figured why not kill two birds with one stone. I needed a place to hide the two squealing pigs, and wanted to pay my respects to poor old O'Conner and his lovely wife Isabella."

"You don't deserve…to say their names," she gasped out in spite.

"You know it's funny…" he said quietly as if in contemplation, bringing his long, slender fingers to stroke the length of London's numb body, "the way you're laying down right now? That's the exact same position your mother landed in after I shot her in between the eyes."

"I'm going to ki…ll…" London's chest tightened and she felt as if her heart had stopped completely before the darkness took over not only her eyes but her mind as well.

"…It's about fuckin' time," he sighed out upon noticing London's body still. Slowly he threw her lithe frame over his shoulder and headed towards the kitchen.

**xxxxxxx**

**[Miranda's Office/ 7PM]**

The soft sound of an artificial voice announcing, "_private chat requested"_ caught Miranda's attention as she swiveled around in her chair and scooted herself more comfortably in towards her personal terminal.

_[Private chat requested by user *Tealeaf13*. Would you like to Accept? __Yes/No__]_

Miranda raised an eyebrow and smiled softly before accepting the request. Only two people knew of her private username: Oriana Lawson and Teagan O'Conner.

_**MLaws**__: Teagan?_

_**Tealeaft13**__: is this Miranda?_

_**MLaws**__: It is, sweetie. It's a secured connection, so don't worry about getting into trouble. I wasn't expecting you to get a hold of me. Is everything alright?_

_**Tealeaf13**__: …i type slow…_

_**MLaws**__: =) Heh. It's okay. Just take your time and go ahead and tell me what's on your mind._

_**Tealeaf13**__: it's about london…_

Miranda's eyes widened and she felt her stomach knot tightly.

_**MLaws**__: …what is it, Teagan?_

_**Tealeaf13**__: she always tries to talk to me at least once a day. i haven't heard from her in a long time :( is she okay? Is Mr. Shepard making her work 2 hard?_

_**MLaws: **__She hasn't spoken to you at all?_

_**Tealeaf13**__: nu-uh. I guess she's just really busy, huh?_

Miranda's eyes darted back and forth as she tried to think of a quick response to ease the child's fear.

_**MLaws**__: She has had the flu, sweetie. I've made her stay in bed and sleep as much as possible. I suppose it's my fault then that she hasn't been able to speak with you. I'm sorry._

_**Tealeaf13**__: so shes okay then? You're taking care of her?_

_**MLaws**__: Yes, she's fine._

_**Tealeaf13**__: okay good! I'm happy!_

_**MLaws**__: Is there anything else, Teagan?_

_**Tealeaf13**__: …will you promise me something?_

_**MLaws**__: If I am capable of it, then of course._

_**Tealeaf13**__: Will you please always take care of my sister when i'm not there? i know i'm asking a lot but i think out of everyone else london trusts you most._

Miranda began to chew on the inside of her lower lip as she stared at the question on her terminal. A minute passed by before another small beep that indicated a response rang out.

_**Tealeaf13: **__are you there?_

_**MLaws**__: …I promise._

_**Tealeaft13**__: Yay! Tell London that I love her very much and that I hope she feels better real soon! I better start going to bed now. If we stay up too late they give us extra homework :(_

_**MLaws**__: Is school going well then? Are you making high marks in all your classes? Do you need a tutor for anything at all?_

_**Tealeaf13**__: yes ma'am classes are fine. No tutor needed!_

_**MLaws**__: Good girl. I'll talk to you later then, Teagan._

_**Tealeaf13**__: Byebye!_

_[User Tealeaf13 has disconnected.]_

"EDI," Lawson called out sternly, "get the Commander down here as quickly as possible."

"Of course, Operative Lawson."

**xxxxxxx**

"Shepard that is way to bloody long! We'll get there two days _after_ using the mass relay? We have to go faster. Teagan said that London hasn't gotten in contact with her. That's not like London."

John rubbed his eyes and sank into the chair in front of Lawson's desk, "Miranda, I know. But the little colony planet is pretty far out there. It'll take us two days to get to our destination after using the relay. There's nothing we can do about it."

"Commander, what if the mercenaries got there before us? London is one woman. We can't just wait for—"

"Lawson, there is _nothing_ we can do." Shepard replied firmly, "We're already on route and EDI is pushing as _fast_ as she can. The trip can take up to four days—she assured us it would only be two. I'd say let's give her some credit and just prepare for what's coming."

"But Shepard we—"

"Easy, Lawson." He assured her. "Stressing about how fast we're going won't make us go any faster. We'll be there as soon as we can and no later. Understood?"

"…Understood, Commander." Miranda said softly. "I apologize if I seemed out of place. It will not happen again."

John shook his head, "…its fine. We know who the mercenaries' target is. It's someone we both know personally—and that changes the game. You're worried and it's understandable. But remember, London is smart and skilled in combat. She's not some blind idiot running off into battle. She'll be alright."

**xxxxxxx**

**[Planet Watson/ 24 hours later]**

"That's enough sleep for you," Cavan said as he patted London's cheek lightly, "Hey—wake the hell up."

London groaned and her eyes fluttered open to darkness. Cavan chuckled, "That must really suck and be very confusing when you first wake up. Am I awake? Are my eyes still closed? Oh wait! Cavan drugged and blinded me! I remember now," he vulgarly teased.

The brunette felt the hard wood of the dinning table beneath her back and when she attempted to sit up she found that she had been tied securely down by several thick straps. She could feel one across her chest, across her wrists, her abdomen, her thighs, and ankles. London could also make out the muffled sobs and tiny squeals coming from somewhere off in the distant end of the room, "…what is that?" she asked, her voice thick with the drugs aftermath.

Cavan waved off the pair in the corner as an afterthought, "Bah, that's just Catalina and Joseph. I finally decided to go them out of the rain. I don't think the kid is holding up to well. I might have traumatized him."

London's eyebrows went up and she turned her face and blank eyes to the general direction of the tiny human's muted squeals without so much as a single thought of the mercenary next to her, "Shhh…shhh sweetie, it'll be okay. I'll make sure you and your mama get out of here safe."

Cavan angrily stared down onto the woman strapped to the table before raising his pistol and shooting Catalina square between the eyes. The mixed sound of the loud bang and the sudden high pitched shriek sent London's body into a fever, her face twisting into one of pure hatred and loathing, "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST—"

The Irish man placed the tip of his gun's barrel roughly into London's mouth, his tone ruthless, "Let me remind you who's in charge here. I will not have you making promises to the kid, and I will not have you regarding me so lightly." Cavan leaned down, his lips grazing against the sniper's earlobe, "…don't…fuck…with me. Talk to the kid again—and I'll shoot him next without so much as a second thought. Don't tell me what I want to hear and I shoot him without so much as a second thought. Lie to me…and I'll shoot him without so much as a second thought. Get where I'm going with this?"

London nodded while she pressed her lips forcefully against the metal barrel, trying her best to keep the man from shoving the thing down her throat. Cavan grinned before he stood upright once more and took the gun from the sniper's mouth. "So back to business shall we?"

"What do you want?"

Cavan sat down on the table next to the gray eyed woman and sighed, "I seem to have a problem, London. You see, I'm trying to get this job done but it's proving to be quite the pain in the ass. I found your daddies' terminal" he said severely, "... but…the memory chip inside is…gone. Every vital little piece of information on Teagan is gone and that's what I'm getting paid to retrieve. The little bitch has some genetic absurdity that by far surpasses any other testing subject my boss has ever come across or heard off. I don't like being toyed with, London. Where is it? Where's the chip?"

London's eyes widened at the news, her lips instantly parting and responding for fear of him hurting the child. "…I-I don't know. I don't have it. I was look—" She heard the reloading of his pistol and she spoke out loudly, her voice clear but rushed, "I'm telling you the truth! I've been looking for the terminal! I don't know anything about the memory chip!"

Cavan rubbed his eyes, "Don't lie to me. I told you what would happen if you lied to me."

"I'm not! I swear to God I'm not! You've been here all day watching me look for it—you know I'm not lying."

The blue eyed man sighed loudly as he thought aloud, "Perhaps you're right…well this certainly puts a dent in the scheme of things."

London tried to reach for the man but found her restraints to constrain even the slightest of movements, "Please…just…let the child go. I've told you what I know…please…"

Cavan smiled as he looked down onto her and traced the outline of her jaw with his fingertip, "So _now_ we're playing nice are we? I'll tell you what…if you can think really, really hard in where your father might have hidden that memory chip—I'll let the kid walk."

The sniper's voice cracked lightly, "I already told you—I didn't know anything about the memory chip even missing. My father had two hiding spots and if you found the terminal you know where both are...just please…he's just a child. You can have _me_," she added, her tone lowering, "I'll do anything."

Cavan chuckled darkly, "Oh come on, London. Begging is so not your style. It's very unbecoming. But I'm afraid that if you can't help me—then I don't have a use for the kid anymore. I was going to off Catalina anyways, but the kid was my leverage to make you spill the details. But…if you don't have the details…"

London shook her head quickly, "I'll think! I'll try my best!"

The raven haired man hissed inwardly, "Sorry, London. I was given the order to clean up all loose ends if this house ended up being nothing more than another dead end. Can't have the little brat growing up and wanting revenge on his murdered father and mother now can we?"

"Don't do it…Cavan, don't do it…DON'T DO—" London cried out and pressed harshly against her restraints as the familiar sound of an M5 echoed throughout the room.

Cavan wrinkled his nose, "Messy."

"You son of a bitch…you God damned son of a bitch!"

The mercenary laughed lightly, "Don't give me that bullshit; you didn't even know the kid or his family!"

"He was a CHILD!" London spat back, her voice torn and face contorted as tears spilled down the side of her face.

Cavan mouthed the words 'blah blah blah' several times as he listened to London rant, "Will you just shut up now?" he said flatly, his tone encompassing boredom. "There's a more pressing issue. What the hell do I do…with you? With no chip you're the closest thing I have to even remotely claiming any kind of reward now."

London's chest was heaving and she was out of breath from trying to break free of her restraints, "…is it really all about the credits? Do you not have any kind of honor inside of you?"

The merc tapped the temple on London's head with the barrel of his pistol, "Uh—fuckin' news flash, London. In this universe it's all about survival and creds. Its dog eats dog out there—I'm just staying on top of the pack."

His words were cut off by the brunette's sudden cruel laughter, "You think you're on top of the pack? You're a damn lackey—a peon that's paid to do the dirty work because the people with the actual money and status are to chicken shit to get their own hands dirty. You're _nothing_. You're the shit on the bottom of their shoe, dispensable—and nothing more."

Cavan growled as he placed a rough hand on top of London's mouth, "Shut the hell up or I'm going to make you eat those words."

"…_get him pissed off…get him to unshackle and move you…"_

London quickly adjusted her mouth and bit down harshly onto Cavan's hand, a warm, copper taste soon becoming apparent on the tip of her tongue. The mercenary screamed as he backed up and stared daggers onto the woman before taking a small dish towel and wrapping the new wound. The sniper's laugh rang out into the small room, "You're going to make me eat those words? Really? That's a load of shit. You can't do anything to me! You said it yourself…I'm the closest thing you have to claiming a paycheck."

"Oh I can do plenty to you without actually taking your life, you _bitch_." He screamed, "I'm going to have my fill of you—and when I'm done…I'm going to find your sister and hand her over so they can implant that little thing in her head and be done with it."

London grinned smugly as her blank eyes stared off into a vacant part of the room, "You couldn't even fucking locate me without help, you _worthless piece of shit_. What the hell makes you think you even have the talent to find _her_?"

The muscles in Cavan's cheeks flexed tightly as he stood at London's feet and began to unbuckle his pants, "You want to see talent? I'll show you talent, you fucking whore. I'll show you so much talent it'll leave your cunt bloody and useless afterwards."

It took all of London's strength to hide the slight shake in her body and the fear on her face, "Big words coming from such a…_little_ man…"

Cavan screamed as his pants fell into a messy pool around his feet. Quickly he untied the shackles around London's ankles and thighs but was careful to leave her upper torso restraints untouched. London could feel a sharp piece of metal tear through her jeans, the cool air soon hitting the bare skin around her panties. Cavan had ripped a hole in between her legs. The sniper was quick to tighten her thighs together as she felt his hands on her knees in attempt to pry her legs open, "You asked for this, _bitch_."

London released a loud, angry sob as directed the heel of her now freed boot to crash into Cavan's face with a sickening crack. She put as much force as she could possibly manage into the strike and was relieved when the only sound she heard was the loud thud of a heavy body falling to the floor without so much as a peep.

The room went silent and London let her leg fall down onto the table limply. Her body was quivering violently and she could no longer hold back the intense sob that brought itself forth from her throat; but she had to keep moving. Who knows how long the mercenary would stay unconscious. Carefully she felt around the lower half of the table with her boot and thanked whatever was looking out for her that day when she found that Cavan had left his tactical knife near her leg after cutting her jeans open. Slowly she lifted her knee while guiding the hilt with the heel of her boot towards her hand. When it was in reach she grasped tightly onto it and twisted her wrist into the strap to begin cutting through the material. It had taken a small amount of time, and her wrist had begun to bleed but ultimately she was successful in her endeavor and had soon freed her body.

As soon as she was able, London threw her legs over the table and got to her feet. She extended her hands out into the darkness in attempt to feel her way around the table and towards the body of the mercenary. When she located him with the tip of her boot she kneeled down and began carefully feeling around for his pistol holder, soon taking the gun firmly into her hand. The sniper swallowed as her free hand felt up his body trying to find his face. She located the once again broken nose and slowly placed the barrel of the M5 unsympathetically and firmly against the area in between his eyes.

When she felt a sudden shift beneath her, she pressed the gun into his forehead with more power, "I just felt you move. Don't even try it."

Cavan swallowed the giant lump in this throat as he stayed perfectly still, "Please," he said softly, "I was just doing my job. I'll go—I'll go and just say that you never showed."

London's lip curled as her empty eyes locked onto his with eerie precision, "Begging is so not your style. It's very unbecoming," she mocked, the shake in her voice still apparent. The mercenary tried to use that slight show of emotion to his advantage, "Come on, London—you don't have to do this...you don't _want_ to do this."

"You're right," she said softly, "I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want anyone to die anymore…"

"Agreed. No one else should have to die here today—"

London leaned in, "—but like you said…I'm only doing my job. My job as a sister, my job as Teagan's guardian…"

Cavan's eyes widened, "London, don't." he said urgently in an attempt to spare his own cowardly life, "I…um—I have a family! I have a mother, father, and three younger brothers."

A single tear rolled down London's cheek as she whispered brokenly out into the air, "…I had a family too…you killed them."

Before any other movement could be made or any other words could be spoken, she added firm pressure to the trigger of the pistol, jerking back only when the warm, metallic smelling liquid splashed gently against her face. It was done.

London rolled onto her back next to the now dead mercenary and naturally closed the lids to her ineffective eyes. Her body was so tired, finally coming down off its adrenaline high. She could feel every cut on her frame; her lip hurt, and the fresh, deep slices on her wrists were stinging badly. The only thing that she wanted to do was sleep for an eternity, and before she could even notice…she did exactly that. There on the bloodied floor of what used to be her childhood home, her safe haven, laid the lithe body of the broken brunette.

[End 22: Stumbling in the Dark]

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**[A/N: I would honestly like to know what you, the readers, are thinking at this point. What did you think of the chapter and of my darker style of writing? Does the faster pace I'm moving at bother you? Please hit the review button and let me know- I would greatly appreciate it. The next chapter is in the works but will not be posted for a small while. I hope everyone is doing well, and thanks again for reading!]**


	23. Search and Rescue

_Disclaimer: The Mass Effect Universe and everything in it belongs to BioWare. I only lay claim to London and Teagan._

_A/N: Thanks to everyone who has subscribed, added to favorites, and written reviews! Also, thanks out to zebrahater for the beta reading._

_I'm really very proud of this chapter.  
_

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[Chapter Twenty-Three: Search and Rescue]

**[Planet Watson/ 24 hours after Cavan's Death/6:30PM]**

Jack, Miranda, Garrus, and Shepard made their way down the narrow path and through the thick woods towards where Liara's information indicated that Shaw C. Riley had found London. The sky was already darkening and John knew they had to pick up their pace. They had been off their time of arrival by nearly an hour due to the very tall, thick plant life that inhibited majority of this specific latitude. There was just no room to land the shuttle any closer, so they had been forced to walk the rest of the way.

"Shepard, I think it's time you purchased a sky car for the Normandy. We would've been able to squeeze right through those thick branches and land near the structure in no time." Garrus suggested aloud.

Miranda puffed air out from her lips in amusement, "Because nothing says 'stealthy' like a big, family sized sky car landing by the front door."

John measured the Turians request before smiling wickedly, "Let me just take that out of your payroll and I'll get right on it. Thanks for being so kind, Garrus!"

"Wait, wait, and wait. I didn't mean—"

"Oh I know what you meant, and I just have to say you are such the _sweetheart_ for offering. As soon as we get back onboard the Normandy I'll have Kelly start the transaction for the car. Do you have a color you'd prefer?" John asked.

"How about flaming asshole red? Ya know, ta' match the driver's personality." Jack said through a surprisingly mirthful grin while checking the status on her shotgun 'Dirty Willy'.

"I wasn't aware that you'd be the one driving the vehicle, Jack." Miranda commented casually as she observed the surround forest.

The ex-convict clicked her tongue in annoyance before cocking her shotgun and aiming it at Miranda's ass. "Ahyahaha—aha!" Shepard blurted out, stepping in front his girlfriend's aim, "All in good fun—isn't that right, Lawson?"

Miranda didn't reply as she marched towards their destination with unbound determination. "We better pick up the pace, Shepard. It's already getting darker and I really don't want to be stuck outside for extended periods of time when night falls completely. I've done the research; this area gets particularly cold beyond a certain hour."

John raised a brow as he caught up to her pace, "How cold?"

Miranda continued on her way, her expression neutral as she flatly replied, "Cold."

"Then you should feel right at home, Ice Queen." Jack verbalized.

Miranda glared and opened her mouth to retaliate but John waved his hand to silence the two women, "Give it a rest you two before I keep us out here on purpose and force the both of you to _hug_ to keep warm."

Both women scoffed at the same time.

"Hey," Garrus nodded his head towards the upcoming structure and reached around to take hold of his sniping rifle, "Shepard, house up ahead— two o'clock."

John raised his fist to halt and quiet his small troupe, "Garrus, you're my eyes on the outside. Make your way through the woods and around the house from the right. I need you to stay vigilant and report any signs of movement or incomings. Watch all exits—no one else besides this team goes in or out. Got it? You see someone, you let me know. Move into position and give the signal when you're ready."

"Can do, Shepard." He simply said, separating from the group and moving quietly through the plant life to take a vantage point. When he found a suitable position, Garrus lay on the flat of his stomach and pressed his eye against the scope of his sniper rifle. "I'm in position. There is no movement in the general vicinity of the structure and nothing seems out of the ordinary. The lights inside are off though and I can't see anything through the windows."

Miranda turned to face the commander, "And this is the correct location of the mercenary's target?"

John nodded, bringing up the visual from his omni-tool and enlarging the map. "According to this it's right: Twenty-seven point three degrees north-equatorials, Savnah region, 51 degrees 30 minutes north, and 0 degrees 4 minutes west. Assuming the GPS coordinates are correct, this is the exact place the merc was looking for. We're in the right spot."

Lawson tilted her head a little as she examined the map in detail, "I suppose we are here, aren't we."

Jack looked at the small, run down structure and raised a brow, "And where the fuck is 'here' anyways?"

"That's what we're about to find out, Jack." Shepard said as he took the sheathed assault rifle from his lower back, watching as it expanded in his hands with the faint, familiar whirring sound. "Get your weapons out and let's move up. I'll take the center; Miranda I want you to take the right, Jack take left." Both women nodded in unison as the three made their way up towards the front entrance. Shepard kneeled down a few feet from the door and aimed his sights at its center, his voice whisper silent as he spoke into his communications system, "Garrus, we all clear?"

"As far as I can see everything still looks quiet, Shepard."

"Lawson, open the door—quietly."

Miranda nodded her head as she placed a steady hand on the doors handle, pushing the button down softly which in turn opened the entrance. "Clear," the commander said silently but keeping his low ground, "What do you see, Jack?"

Jack brought her eyes around the door's frame and looked into the dark, still living room. The biotic could make out several silhouettes of what appeared to be motionless bodies, "Shepard, its dark—real dark, but I think we got people on the ground. They ain't moving."

"Garrus make your way around the back and head in through the rear." John stood and made his way towards the doors entrance, flipping on his helmets night vision as he noiselessly walked through the frame with his rifle gripped tightly and his trigger finger ready.

Communications stayed out until John finally broke the silence with a single, soft word. "…shit…" he said, witnessing the small disaster and carnage spread all around the house's living room floor. John moved his eyes along the length of each wall, finally finding the light switch to the room and heading over to flick it up and on. Shepard clenched his jaw and brought a closed fist to his mouth upon seeing the frozen, horror stricken face of the child who had been shot in cold blood, and the adult woman who lay sprawled beside him. Quietly he walked up to the pair and reached a gloved hand over each pair of eyes, pulling ever so tenderly at the lids until they were shut. "Jack, Lawson— move in."

Miranda and Jack did as ordered, stopping momentarily to view what their commander was hunched over. Both women developed deep creases that etched into their foreheads and furrowed their brows. "They shot a kid, Shepard?" Jack asked with a voice softer than usual.

"Yeah, Jack" he replied desolately, "they shot a kid."

Lawson forced her eyes to move around the surrounding area until they fell on what appeared to be a man dressed as a mercenary and the slender frame of a familiar female whose long, chestnut colored hair was caked in blood; her tank top so drenched that Miranda couldn't help but think that the blood had belonged to the young, gray eyed woman. "…Shepard, its London…" she said quickly as she ran up towards the limp body and kneeled beside it, her hands cupping the sniper's face and forcing it to face her own, "London?" she asked firmly as she slid her index and middle finger down the brunette's neck and onto her pulse point.

John turned his attention towards his XO and immediately jogged over, soon leaning down beside Miranda but using his hands to check on the man beside London's body as he spoke, "How's she doing? Is she alive?"

Miranda turned her gaze towards him, her voice expressing hints of relief and joy, "She's unconscious but alive, Commander. Her pulse is steady."

"It's all clear, Shepard." Garrus said entering the living room only to halt at the door and look down on the sniper, "Aw damn. She alright?"

John nodded, "She's alive. This guy however," he motioned towards the limp body of Cavan, "isn't so lucky. I'm thinking this is our merc."

Garrus kneeled down beside the Irish man's body and unbuckled the man's shoulder guards then proceeded to rip the sleeve off the t-shirt beneath. "You're right. He's a Sun. He still has the mark on his shoulder. Usually when they take a mission of this nature they acid wash the marking off so they can't be identified as part of the group. But I'm guessing this guy was either extremely cocky or just truly believed he wouldn't be dying today. He didn't take the time to burn it off his skin."

John shook his head, "So much for getting to capture and question him."

The Turian shrugged his shoulders, "We still have another merc out there, Shepard. We'll get em'."

"Hey Shepard," Jack called out from behind the gathered group, "I found somethin'. Is this the terminal you were lookin' for before the stripper left?" she asked, holding the small PT up for the commander to behold.

"Her name is London, Jack. So be appropriate for once in your life and use her name." Miranda defended.

"What the hell does it matter to you what I—"

"At ease you two. We're here to do a job so let's get it done." John lifted his sights from Cavan's mark and back towards Jack, "That might be the PT. Open it up and check it out." he ordered as he looked back down on the body in front of him, "Let's look at this guy's omni-tool."

Garrus looked up, "Shepard, just take the thing. He's not going to need it anymore. We can transfer the data back on the Normandy and have Tali or Legion take a look at it incase upon intrusion the files attempt to delete themselves, or become encrypted. We might need someone who can prevent those things from happening."

John sighed, "And what makes you think I can't do it?"

"Because," the Turian said with more amusement than insult, "you have the tech skills of a two year old."

Miranda scanned over London's body, biting her lower lip harshly when she noticed the torn material in between the woman's legs. "And Commander, we have to get London out of here and back aboard the Normandy. She's exhausted, dehydrated, and has several unattended gashes that need treatment lest they get infected. We need to do a scan to make sure nothing else is wrong."

John thought quietly as he weighed out his options, "Alright. Jack, pack up that PT. Garrus, take the omni-tool and search his body for anything else useful before we go. Lawson, get London's belongings together." Miranda nodded firmly once before instantly standing to find the young brunette's backpack.

Jack raised a brow, "And what the hell are you going to do?"

John chuckled as he reached underneath the trim figure of London and lifted her up easily with the strong muscles of his thighs and calves, "I'll take the heavier load."

Garrus grinned, "You just wanna touch her."

The small sting of a tiny biotic ball hit the Turian smack in the back of head, causing him to turn around and eyeball the tattooed offender, "I was kidding, geesh!"

"…careful or Shepard might end up having to carry two bodies back," she warned with a scary but playful grin on her lips that made Garrus cringe.

"Oh please God no," Shepard cried out, "If I have to carry Garrus' fat ass we'll be walking back for days."

The Turian waved off the terrible joke then proceeded to nod his head over in the direction of the dead child and mother, "…what do we do about them, Shepard?"

John adjusted his hold on London and took a moment to gather his thoughts and make a decision, "We're going to have to leave them. Right now the priority is getting all this information back to the ship and making sure London is taken care of. When both are delivered we'll see if we can come back t—" Shepard suddenly stopped upon noticing the sudden, slight shift of weight in his arms.

"You were saying?" Garrus asked questioningly.

"She moved," John replied quickly, carefully placing the brunette down on the nearby couch. "Garrus, go get Miranda. London," he asked softly, placing calloused fingertips over her forearm, "London, are you with us?"

Jack took a few steps forward to glance over the sniper, "She's not a fuckin' ghost haunting the room, Shepard. Of course she's with us. Smack her around a little, that'll wake her up."

John groaned at Jack's antics as he patted London's cheek gently, "Hey. London, its John Shepard. Can you hear me?"

A smile came to his face when he heard the soft exhale that left London's now slightly parted lips. He watched as London swallowed the dryness in her throat and peeled her closed eyelids open halfway, and then gradually blink them open into a full gaze. But Shepard tilted his head to the side when he noticed something was off about the way she was looking at him. Partly because she seemed to be looking at his chin and because her look was uncharacteristically empty. Every time he had held a conversation with the woman he had noticed a certain spark in her eyes—smart and confidant, like she was always thinking and planning ahead. "Shepard?" she asked softly, confused as her shaky hand weakly lifted up and reached out the feel for his form. John leaned away from her hands, his eyebrow raised as her slender fingers connected with the top of his shoulder and onto the cool surface of his armor. "Is that really you?" she asked again, her voice faltering as it lowered itself to a hush.

Lawson had moved quickly into the room as John nodded his head, "Yeah it's us."

Miranda couldn't speak. The XO knew she should have let the brunette know of her presence, but she couldn't bring herself to let herself be known. Several emotions were pumping through her body: guilt because they weren't fast enough, anger because London's was hurt, joy because London was alive, and fear because she couldn't figure what the sniper would do next.

"Us?" the sniper responded with hesitation, her eyes never moving from Shepard's chin. "Who else is here?"

Jack crossed her arms underneath her breasts and cocked her hip to the side, her voice confused and curious, "What the hell, London? We're right fuckin' here."

London brought her hand down from the Commander's shoulder, her lower lip quivering for a moment before she brought her face down to face the floor, "Jack?"

"Uh…yeah?"

"I'm sorry...I'm not trying to be rude. I just…can't see you."

John's eyes widened as he lifted London's chin up to look into her eyes. He brought his index finger and slowly moved it from side to side in front of the woman's face in hopes that London's gaze would follow it. Her eyes never moved. "What happened?" he asked softly, the realization of her blindness hitting him and his team like a sack of bricks. He then noticed he'd never seen London as vulnerable as she was now. She looked pained, heartbroken, terrified, and alone.

London spoke again quietly, her eyes furrowing in grief, "…I'm so happy you're here."

"London," Shepard tried again, his voice softer. "What happened?"

"I tried to stop him," she whispered softly, "…I… he…the kid…he shot the kid," Her voice became breathy and choked, "I tried. I tried so hard to keep him busy with m-me…but…Cavan…heartless…he had no heart. No conscious."

"It's alright," John soothed as he took her firmly by the shoulders, "Listen to me, and listen to me carefully. You did _everything_ you could, London. What happened here was not your fault."

The brunette shook her head and tried her best to look into the commander's eyes. John's heart broke when she ended up looking over his shoulder instead. "It _is_ my fault, Shepard. All of this was my fault. They were living in this house peacefully before I showed up here and ruined everything for them," she said quietly, regretfully. "…and it was all for _nothing_. My father's terminal is missing its memory chip. I don't know where it is and I don't know where to look. These people," she gasped, "this _family_…they buried my parents with respect when they didn't have to. And this is how I say thanks? By getting them all killed?"

"London," Shepard said, trying to calm the upset sniper, "…you didn't know."

"I should have known!" she spat out, cursing her stupidity, "I was an idiot! I was so stupid to think that everything was okay—that Cavan wasn't dangerous. I could have seen it too; I should have been able to tell if I wasn't so distracted."

"Distracted?"

"…I felt normal, Shepard." She said softly, brokenly. "For the first time in five years…I felt _normal_. It was nice…sitting down for lunch and laughing over the silliest of things. Having a normal conversation…" she covered her face with the palm of her hands to keep herself from completely shattering, "…I was stupid to think that someone like me could have a chance at normalcy. And this family paid the price for it."

John was silent for a moment before he placed a hand over one of London's. "We have to get you back to the ship, there's a lot to talk about and we need to make sure you're okay. Chakwas and Mordin can check out your vision and—"

"We can't leave," she interrupted, her voice sounding frantic. "We can't leave Catalina, Frank, and Joseph here like this. They need to be buried. I owe them that much."

John shook his head and exhaled loudly, but the sniper reached out to take hold. "Please," London asked once more. "Please, Shepard."

"…Alright," he replied softly and giving in to her wish, "we'll bury them right now. It'll take a while but…we'll get it done. Garrus, Jack, help me out will ya'? Lawson, see that London is taken care of."

London heart thumped loudly in her chest, her empty eyes snapping up and anxiously looking around the room, "Miranda is here?"

The XO closed her eyes before nodding her head towards the Commander. "She's here," John reassured before turning his attention to the small pile of bodies, "Alright team, let's get to it." And with that, the crew gently took the three bodies in hand and moved them out the door in preparation for burial leaving the Australian and the sniper alone.

The pair was quiet for a while; Miranda was standing a few feet from the brunette, her hands clasped tightly in front of her tummy while London sat still, her eyes trying to desperately seek out the XO much to their failure, "Miranda? Are you there?"

Nothing happened for a few moments, but soon London could hear the soft sound of heels clicking against the ground before she felt the woman kneel before her, hearing the small thud of knees against the wooden floor and the faint, comforting aroma of lavender that usually lingered around the second in command. The sniper felt Lawson's soft hands rest on her lap when the gentle, soothing voice of the raven haired beauty finally spoke up for the first time since she had awakened, "I'm here, London."

London face saddened as she realized she could no longer look into those azure eyes that always seemed to just _understand_. Oh how badly she wanted to gaze over those perfect, porcelain features and reacquaint herself. Miranda, however, found a strange, selfish kind of freedom as she was allowed to finally stare at the woman without being noticed. London was truly beautiful. She had perfect skin, round, full lips that seemed to naturally pout just enough to be incredibly attractive. It was just heartbreaking that all that beauty was hidden and caked under layers of grime and blood. "I wish I could see you guys," London said, "...It'd be nice to see an actual friend right about now," she joked half heartedly.

"Here," Miranda effortlessly replied, taking the other woman's hands into her own and placing them gently onto either side of her own face. "It's not the exact same but…it's something."

London's muscles tensed as she felt the smooth skin beneath her fingertips, the bone structure of such an incredibly beautiful face. The sniper found herself biting her lip when she felt Miranda close her eyes and offer free reign to explore her features. The brunette was tender in her actions, delicate tips gliding softly over Miranda's eyebrows, the bridge of Lawson's nose, the elegance of her cheek bones, the shape of her jaw, curve of her chin, and finally the softness of her lips. London could feel the operative's breath catch when she touched the plump part of flesh and instantly withdrew her hands, "I'm sorry," she said quickly, entangling her own fingers together. Miranda slowly opened her eyes and shook her head, "You did nothing wrong."

"I must look like crap compared to you," the brunette laughed quietly to herself, running her hands over her own hair and down to feel her uncomfortable clothing. Her face contorted slightly in disgust when she realized her tank top must have been soaked with blood. The dried texture was gritty and sticky, and she could make out the smell of copper and sweat on her skin. "My tank top…is it?"

Miranda nodded and spoke out truthfully but as delicately as possible, "…it would be in your best interest to likely bathe and change while we're here, London. Shepard will be out there for a few hours, it'd be wise to take advantage of that time."

London flinched at the thought of what she was wearing, the idea of literally being bathed in blood making her nauseous. "I'd like that. Will you…lead me to the bathroom? There should be a door to the left. It's down the small hallway, first door on the right."

Miranda nodded as she stood, reaching down to take the brunette by the hand and helping her to stand up; London clasped the offered hand and held onto it firmly, her eyes finding their way towards the ground as Lawson led her into the bathroom. London fully recognized the spark between the two warm palms pressed tightly against each other. The sniper could feel how tender the operative was being with her; how careful the XO was when guiding her through doorframes or around corners. She felt how Miranda's thumb unconsciously rubbed the back of her hand in soft, soothing circles. Lawson had never been a particularly tender woman, but sometimes there were moments when her softer nature would escape; moments that seemed to present themselves more and more only when London was around. She might have been blind, but there were things that could clearly be seen without sight.

London thought quietly as she was lead; she didn't know what it was she felt for Miranda. It wasn't love, not exactly; but it was something stronger than any simple friendship could possess, and she couldn't help but wonder if in those small, delicate gestures the operative would show her that Miranda felt the same way.

The idea of two women being together was not uncommon in this day in age. Ever since humanity was introduced to the Asari race the ideas of sexuality and what was acceptable had changed drastically. Sure, there were still those that opposed the idea of same sex relationships; but the race had come so far in their ideals that London wasn't bothered at all at the thought of women being with other women. It was rather common, actually.

Miranda released London's hand only when she needed to bend over the tub and twist the two handles, making sure that the water coming out was hot but not nearly enough so to burn. London sighed softly at the loss of her but bit her lip as she waited, her hands clasped tightly together. It was endearing to the sniper that Miranda hadn't needed to be asked to prepare the bath, knowing full well that it would have been embarrassing beyond compare for an independent woman such as London. So, Miranda worked quietly and quickly making sure that all supplies would be in reach of the brunette. She placed whatever shampoo was available at the edge of the tub as well as unboxed a new bar of soap for the young woman to use at her disposal. When the XO was done she turned off the water and spun around to face the sniper, "I'll wait out—"

London shook her head as she reached out in the direction of the voice and inwardly smiled when she correctly caught hold of the XO's wrist. "…stay," she demanded gently.

"You want me to stay? Why?" Miranda questioned, her voice hesitant but not unkind.

London took a breath, swallowing her nerves and silencing her hesitant thoughts, "…do you remember what you told me on the Normandy right before I left?"

Miranda stayed hushed as she remembered lying on a stiff bed in the medical bay, wanting so desperately to reach out and clasp the sniper in her arms in any attempt to keep the woman from leaving but being unable to do so. "…I do."

"You told me that '_it's_ _hard to say goodbye and it's even harder to be __alone __afterwards_'. You were right. It's been lonely," the brunette confessed much to the operatives astonishment."I chose to leave after I let go of Teagan, and when I did I lost the only people that ever made me feel remotely happy in the last five years…but now you all are here again…and I don't want to see you go," she tried to explain without sharing that she felt weak for being afraid; weak for fear of being left alone in the darkness that her newly acquired blindness left her in. Allowing herself to show vulnerability was not something London found comfortable; she had lost that luxury when her parents had died five years ago. But now things were just so hectic, so fast to spin out of control that the sniper needed to find a flat surface to plant her feet on. Miranda made the world stop spinning; she made it easier to think._ "_So please, will you stay with me just for a while longer?" she asked, lowering her voice to a small, self-conscious whisper.

There was silence for a long moment, but London had learned during her time on the Normandy that when Miranda wasn't sure how to respond to something that she usually just chose to remain silent, or found a way to ignore the subject all together. However, London had also observed that when words wouldn't suffice, Miranda usually found another way to express what she was feeling, and when London suddenly felt the other woman kneel before her and begin working at her combat boot's laces, the sniper's heart warmed. "You don't have to do that," she said, reaching down and tensing, "Miranda, really—you don't have to do that. I can take off my boots. It might take me a moment longer but I can—"

"Lift," came the tender demand from the second in command. London blushed lightly for the first time since they had met but did as instructed. Slowly she lifted her foot so Miranda could slide her boot off and place it against the wall so they wouldn't get wet. "Now the other one," she spoke again, repeating the process until the sniper was bare of shoes and socks. London's toes twiddled against the cold floor causing the operative to smile at the cute mannerism, but that smile soon faded when her eyes trailed up towards the ripped center of London's jeans.

"…Your jeans are ripped at the center," Lawson said softly but not questioning as to why, "When you're nearly done with your bath I'll go get your pack. You brought extra clothes?"

"I did," the brunette replied, suddenly humiliated when remembering why her pants were torn in the first place; Using the merc's anger and pride, trying to get Cavan to rape her was the only way she could think of getting him to release her constraints… and the thought made her shiver as she gradually unbuttoned and unzipped her torn blue jeans.

Miranda stood and turned around to give the sniper any bit of privacy she could offer while London slowly slid the article of clothing down her legs and into disheveled heap on the floor. Lawson waited patiently, a light, uneasy puff leaving her lips at the same time as London reached down and grabbed the edge of her tank top and peeled it off up and over her head, soon throwing it into another messy pile near her jeans.

The sniper's body quivered at the feel of cool air, reaching behind her back to unclasp her bra and letting her breasts free from the clothing's restrictions. Miranda crossed her arms and looked over the ceiling, toilet, and sink as she waited for the butterflies in her stomach to pass. She felt absolutely ridiculous; like a young girl in grade school fumbling over her feet as the boy she liked passed by in the hall— and the thought made her eyes roll at herself. London didn't feel much differently as she slid her panties off and bent over to reach for the tub. When she found its lip she carefully lifted her leg and maneuvered her way into its waters. At first contact with the hot liquid she released a soft hiss causing Lawson to tense, but when London soon exhaled contentedly and pressed her back against the tub's warmed surface, Miranda found herself relaxing too. "Are you in," the XO asked finally.

"You closed your eyes?" London asked with a hint of amusement and relief.

"I turned around," Miranda corrected flatly as she turned to face the sniper once more, "You're entitled to privacy."

"…Thank you," the brunette said kindly, "…for staying."

"There's no need to thank me," the blue eyed woman assured watching curiously as the sniper took in a deep breath and plunged herself underneath the water.

Lawson observed as the soft ripples played with the outline of the brunette's body, watched as her long tresses flowed effortlessly and easily out amongst the water's depths, and watched as the dirt, grime, and blood floated to the top of the clear water's surface.

When London resurfaced it was with a smile as she reached up to wipe her face of excess water, "…that felt amazing."

"Here," Miranda added casually, offering the small shampoo bottle to the sniper and tapping her softly on the shoulder with it, "Shampoo."

London crinkled her nose, "What kind?"

Lawson chuckled as she brought the bottle back to read before popping the lid open and sniffing lightly, "Sky Blossoms."

The gray eyed woman raised an eyebrow, "…and what does a sky blossom smell like, exactly?

Miranda grinned as she leaned over to place the bottle under London's nose and squeezed gently to blow soft, scented puffs of air out, "Smell. It's a faint scent, nothing fancy. What do you think?"

London smelled its contents for a moment before nodding, "It's not like I can exactly afford to be picky at this given time… but it's definitely not bad."

"It'll have to do." Miranda rolled her eyes before pouring the bottles contents into her own open palm, "Lean your head back."

London looked over in the direction of Lawson's voice uncertainly before doing as commanded and tilting her head back while closing her eyes. The XO tenderly rubbed the shampoo into the snipers wet hair, her finger tips expertly massaging the scalp beneath. London groaned happily at the other woman's touch, her hand reaching up from the water to grasp the lip of the bath tub. "That feels nice," she said quietly.

With London's eye sight in its current state Miranda felt free to watch the sniper. She didn't know why she was looking so intently, but there was something unendingly fascinating—mesmerizing even about watching London's expressions flit across her face unconstrained; Miranda unconsciously grinned. She had never realized that those delicate muscles worked together so harmoniously to display whatever emotion London was experiencing. "Okay," the operative finally managed to voice aloud, "Rinse."

London opened her vacant eyes and nodded before taking another breathe and submerging herself. Miranda watched as the sniper worked her fingers through her hair, ridding herself of all traces of shampoo before finally coming up for air. "Did I get it all?" the brunette had asked.

"You did," Miranda said through a small smirk. "And here's the bar of soap," she said placing it into the snipers grasp, "I'm going to sit against the tub with my back to you so you can finish up, alright?"

London nodded her head and began to lather the length of her arms as Miranda sat against the cool outer surface of the tub. The pair was quiet for a few moments before the operative finally asked what she'd been wanting to since the sniper had awoken from unconsciousness, "London?"

"Miranda?" the woman answered quizzically.

"…what happened to your vision?"

The brunette was silent as she lathered her legs and thighs underneath the water, "I let my guard down. I was stupid. Cavan," she said with distaste in her mouth, "the mercenary you found out there…he slipped an herb into a cup of tea he made me. I noticed that the color was slightly off, but I couldn't smell anything besides oranges—and figured the kind of tea it was played a roll in its color."

Miranda raised a brow, "Do you happen to know what kind of herb it was?"

London could only shrug, "I don't know if he was telling the truth, but I do remember him saying that it was called Blindweed."

"Blindweed?" Lawson repeated, quickly snapping her body around to face the other woman. London jumped and dropped the soap into the water when she suddenly felt Miranda's hand cupping her face, "…um…?"

Lawson was quiet as she examined the gray eyes closer in a more medical manner, her eyes squinting slightly and head tilting to the side as if trying to look for something. The brunette's heart sped up as she felt the space between them close, now being able to just feel the XO's sweet breath tickle her own lips. It was intoxicating… and before she could help herself, London found her eyes dreamily fluttering closed as her head began to tilt and lean in. Miranda, who was in full blown examination mode and completely oblivious, gave out a little grunt as she tightened her hold on the woman's cheeks to keep her still, "Don't move for a second, and open your eyes. When did you drink the tea?"

London's eyes widened with embarrassment as she quickly did as instructed_. _"Two day ago exactly," she managed to say smoothly enough, "Why?"

Miranda smiled, "Does this sting?" she asked, pressing lightly at the flesh beneath London's lower eyelids. The sniper winced, her eyes watering as she nodded. "It does, yes."

"That's a good sign," the XO said, "Blindweed is curable if treated within sixty-one hours of exposure."

The sniper shook her head in disbelief, "Really? How can you be sure? How do you even know?"

"I'm familiar with the herb. It's popular amongst the mercenaries hired by Cerberus to transfer targets. Mercenaries take their target's sight so the location they're being taken to remains unknown. It's rather extreme if you ask me—but it gets the job done far better than a simple blind fold. It temporarily blinds then eventually renders the consumer unconscious, making them easy to handle during the transport. You can crush it into a fine powder and add it to liquids or food with little to no difference in taste, texture, or smell."

"…so…it can be reversed? I'll be able to see again?"

Lawson nodded, releasing her grasp of London and standing up quickly, "If treated, yes. I'll bring your clothing in now then I need to step out and contact Chakwas to have the eye-drops and pills prepared for when we arrive back on the Normandy. I do believe the medical bay has all the supplies necessary."

London closed her eyes and smiled happy as she sunk deeper into the hot water, "thank—"

"You can thank me later," Miranda interrupted quickly but affectionately, "after we _actually_ solve the problem. Until then, finish up in here while I make the call. Have you eaten?"

The sniper was quiet for a moment before responding, "Yes."

Miranda leaned against the doorframe with a raised eyebrow, "Did you _really_ just lie to me?"

London groaned as she submerged her head underwater and blew several large bubbles up towards the surface. Miranda smiled as she turned to exit the small bathroom, "That's what I thought."

**xxxxxxx**

The XO made her way quickly out of the house in search of the Commander. She could clearly hear Jack complaining loudly about only God knew what in the distance, so the small team wasn't difficult for the operative to find in the slightest. "Commander," she said professionally after closing in, "London was speaking with me about her eye sight and brought up the detail of Blindweed being used as the reason for her vision loss. It's a commonly used herb among the mercenaries hired by Cerberus. She consumed it forty eight hours ago."

John stopped his digging momentarily to look up at his second in command, "Is it curable?"

The XO nodded, "It is Commander, but it's urgent that we get her back onto the Normandy within the next thirteen hours. The herb only has a sixty one hour window to counter its affects. She needs medication and eye drops."

John nodded his head, "Have you gotten a hold of Dr. Chakwas?"

"I have, Commander. She'll be waiting for London upon arrival."

"Good. Since the area is clear I'll order in for an emergency evacuation for her. It'll still be a few hours before the shuttle lands, and we'll still have to walk a small ways to get to the clearing but we'll manage. Make sure London has all her belongings and is fit for leaving."

Miranda nodded her head before turning around and walking back towards the house, "Will do, Shepard."

"Damn it," Jack growled when the operative was out of sight, "why the hell can't the Cheerleader be out here helping us? This would go a lot faster..."

John wiped his forehead as he stuck the shovel deeply into the earth, "Aw come on, Jack! This isn't so bad; we're doing something really nice for these people. Besides, we're almost done with this one."

"…it's just too bad this one is a small one," Garrus said softly as he helped dig from the other side.

Jack huffed, "I get that—whatever, but _why_ isn't the Cheerleader helping? I get Helen Keller over there takin' a breather and getting some time off, but what the hell has Ms. Bitchfest done today? She's done jack shit that's what."

John grinned, "Someone's got to help out London, Jack. She probably would like to get changed and take all that blood off her body and hair since this digging takes a few."

"I could do that," the biotic said honestly, "…just spray her down with a hose and shave her head. That shit is simple."

Shepard laughed, "And that's exactly why I'm keeping you and Garrus here."

"Aw what'd I do?" the confused Turian asked.

"Don't give me any of that, Vakarian. You're worse than Engineer Donnelly when it comes to that girl."

"Ahhh I'm not that bad," Garrus said as he waved Shepard off, "not _nearly_ that bad. But in all seriousness have you _seen_ that woman? Someone needs to bronze her father's pen—"

"Garrus," Shepard warned with a stern finger.

The Turian grinned as he continued to dig, "…I was just saying. It was a simple observation and suggestion."

"So what happens after this, Shepard?" the ex-convict asked knee deep in soil.

"After this we get London back to the Normandy and open up the mercs omni-tool. He has a partner, June Sanders who is currently staying at a high class resort on Omega. I'm hoping they've been keeping contact every other day. I want to find out what this guy is up to and who this guy is working for."

Jack scoffed, "What the hell is considered high class for Omega?"

Garrus shrugged as he spoke up to answer the question, "I wouldn't exactly say _high class_. It's called the Velvet Vault." When both the Commander and the biotic gave him knitted, curious eyebrows Garrus grinned, "Yep. It's as bad as it sounds. It's highly secured and very expensive. The best of the worst stay there with no care at all for authority. No cop will step a mile within that place."

"What's he doin' there?"

The Turian looked over towards the Commander to answer who in turn looked over to Jack before he began to speak, "I'm not sure. Liara just sent me some details and the layout of the place not to long ago. Some of the best mercs in the business have been checking in. It's a real Donovan Hock-esque get together if you ask me."

"And you wanna' fuckin' get in there how? Shepard, you're the poster boy for everything good. You really think we're just going to waltz in without them noticing you?"

"I don't know how we're getting in yet, but I never said it was going to be simple, Jack."

Garrus nodded his head, accepting Shepard's comment as a simple fact of their daily lives. "That is true. When has anything we've ever done been simple?"

"Look, all I'm sayin' is that do you all realize we haven't had a break from this shit in like what? Almost two months? I mean we just finished savin' the worthless piece of shit that is humanity and they still want more. We give, give, give, and they take, take, take. For once I'd like the mission to be 'Oh hey guys, I want you to go get piss drunk and rob a transport vessel carrying billions of credits'. I'd be happy to do _that_."

"Ah cut the crap, Jack." Garrus said with little self preservation, "everyone here knows that you're happy to be helping these biotic children by stopping this 'Buyer'. We all saw how you were with Teagan."

"Do you like where your mandibles are right now, Vakarian? Because I'd be more than happy to break one off and shove it up you ass."

"Careful," the Turian warned playfully, "I just might like that."

Shepard groaned as he listened to the two bicker heatedly back and forth, "Are you two done? _I_ would really like to finish digging within the next seven hundred years."

Jack gave her commander the one fingered salute before continuing to dig, causing the Turian to laugh out loud as he stuck his shovel back into the wet earth, "In seven hundred years you'd be in your matron stage, Shepard!"

John stopped his digging and stood up straight, wiping off the dirt from the front of his pink armor as he sighed loudly. "You're never going to give this up, are you?"

Garrus shook his head sternly as he tossed out the last of the dirt from the deep grave and looked up towards the commander, "Nope."

"Remind me again why I keep you around?"

"Because I'm amazing."

"Will you shut the hell up with that armor shit?" Jack's annoyed voice argued, "Fuck, Shepard. If I didn't know any better I'd think the _two of you_ were goin' out."

Before John or Garrus could speak, Jack pulled the trigger to her shot gun to shut both up in advance. She had aimed it up into the air, but diagonally so the bullet wouldn't come back to bite her in the ass. She grumbled as she reloaded, "…makin' me waste a perfectly good god damned round. Are you ready to put the kid in or what?"

The Turian noticed Lawson peek her head over the window seal to see if trouble had arrived, but when she noticed it was just Jack acting out, Vakarian could have sworn he saw her mouth the words 'that stupid, idiotic child. I swear!' He grinned; oh how he loved the women who worked aboard the Normandy. There was never a dull moment.

Shepard growled but nodded as he tenderly picked up the small body and bent down to hand the child off to Garrus whom placed the child softly into his grave, resting Joseph's hands respectfully at his sides and palm down. The Turian was careful when he was helped out of the resting place, being sure to not nudge the child in any fashion before he spoke. "Anyone wanna' say anything?" he had asked softly.

"You don't have to say nothin'," the biotic said looking down into the small grave, "because where he is beats the place we are now."

John blinked blankly at his girlfriend, "He was just a kid, Jack."

"I know that, Shepard. And I ain't sayin' what that asshole did to him was right. The kid shouldn't have died. But he did. And that ain't changing. Where he is now is quiet and calm. There's nothin' that can bother him or his family anymore, nothin' that can hurt them. Besides, they'll get their chance again. And maybe next time it'll be better."

Garrus looked over the biotic in quiet contemplation before asking his question, "You believe in reincarnation, Jack?"

She shrugged, "Dunno'. But there's gotta be more to it than this."

John looked down at the small body once more before softly taking a lump of dirt onto his shovel and placing it onto the small boy's body. "Rest easy, kid."

"Oh and Shepard," Jack said flatly, "if you're expecting me to help you bury that fuckin' poor excuse for a merc then you got another thing coming. I ain't doin' it."

"He already got his, Jack. Even this guy has a mother out there somewhere that will mourn his loss. He doesn't deserve it, but I'm going to bury him anyways. It's what I'd want someone to do for me."

"Then you can do it without me," the biotic said coldly. "I ain't touching him. I mean don't get me wrong—I've done some bad shit in my time… but a kid at point blank? Naw."

"That fine," the commander assured, "if you don't want to help I won't hold it against you. Let's just finish this one first."

**xxxxxxx**

"So what would you like to eat," Miranda asked softly as she carefully wrapped the brunette's wrists after applying a small layer of medi-gel to the wounds. "I'm no gourmet chef, but I hear that I can warm up a pretty mean bowl of soup and make a tasty sandwich."

London smiled as she brought her eyes down, "That's not necessary…but thank you."

"London, you haven't eaten anything. You're exhausted, weak, and still dehydrated. You _need_ to eat and drink something."

"I'm really not very hungry."

"Look," the XO said firmly, "I'm not asking as a friend. I'm asking you as this group's second in command. Health is a serious matter, and the team still has to walk all the way back to the shuttle. Do you really want to slow us down? You have sixty one hours to begin treatment. You've used fifty, and Shepard will most likely still be burying that family outside for two more hours. It took us eight hours to get here from the colony. That leaves you one hour to get back onto the Normandy and into the medical bay—and that's cutting it a little to close for my liking. So eat, drink and stop arguing."

London's body language shifted, seeming to have withdrawn and become a little colder. "Understood," she stated impersonally. "You've done a lot for me by coming here. I don't want to slow your team down."

Miranda closed her eyes and damned her usage of words. She really wanted the brunette to eat because she wanted her to get better, because when Lawson was hurting and unable to feed herself London so whole heartedly helped. Why couldn't she just say that? For just once in her life why couldn't her words come out sensitive? This is why she never attempted to make friends; she always ended up slipping somewhere along the lines and looking like a complete bitch who just wanted to bark out orders. "London, it's not that I find you to be incapa—"

The sniper shook her head in protest, "No, I understand. You came here to do a job and I need to work with you and not against you so you can get it done. You're right. I'm tired and slower than I usually am. Forgive me; I'm not used to this," she motioned to her empty eyes, "or being so damn …dependant. But I promise that I'll try to move as quickly as possible."

The Australian pinched the area between her eyes in aggravation before she stood from her seat and made her way towards the kitchen without saying a word, leaving London in the darkness and silence until a rather bored Jack came stomping through the door, "Well look at you all shiny n' shit."

London turned her head in the direction of the voice and smiled, "I took a bath, yes. Is everything alright out there?"

"Yeah," the biotic replied lazily as she plopped down on a seat near the sniper, raising her boots and slamming them down onto the table as she leaned back into her chair, "they're doin' the last one now. I hear your gonna get your lookers back?"

"My eyes? Yes. Thankfully Miranda knew about the herb used on me. I think they'll have the medication ready by the time I get on board your ship."

"So," the biotic asked as she looked around the room, "where the hell are we anyways? This your old house?"

"Yes, it is actually. It's where I grew up. I didn't have to leave until I was about twenty years old and Teagan was two. There are really good memories here," the brunette said sadly.

Jack rested her arms behind her head and examined the blind woman beside her, "Yeah? Like what?"

London turned her gaze over in the direction of Jack and smiled, "Why so curious?"

The biotic shrugged, "I ain't curious, I'm just bored and want you to entertain me. I never had any of this crap so I never exactly got the gist of what 'home-life' was like, ya know? Can't see what the big deal is, seems boring as hell," she lied gracefully; glad that the blind woman beside her couldn't see the honest, childlike curiosity etched clear across her face. "So go ahead; shock and amaze me."

London chuckled lightly, "You just pretty much summed it up yourself, Jack."

"No shit?"

"Being home was 'boring as hell'. But out of everything that I miss, I think that being bored at home is what I miss most. There were no mercenaries, no dealers, no guns, no booming music, no men slobbering over you, and no one wanting to hurt or use you. It was normal—I miss normal. Being home was…spending time with my mother, reading a book to my sister, listening to my father sing, watching my parents dance, sneaking Teagan outside when she couldn't sleep and showing her the stars as we were surrounded by 'light-bugs'." London smiled sadly as she thought back on the old times, "Home-life was waking up every morning to a home made breakfast of funny shaped pancakes, and going to sleep every night with someone saying that they loved you."

The room grew quiet for a moment more before she lastly added, "Maybe one day when Teagan is older and I can gather the nerve…I'll come back and really fix this place up."

Jack clenched her jaw as she looked down onto the wooden table. She wished she could be sad to for losing such a thing, but found that she couldn't bring herself to miss something she had never experienced before. If anything, she was pissed that the opportunity to have such a life had been taken from her. "Bored now," the biotic said with feigned loss of interest. She didn't want to hear anymore, couldn't bring herself to hear anymore.

"I'm sorry I couldn't shock and awe you, Jack." London said with a half grin.

"Jack isn't—oh. So happy to have you join us," Miranda said sourly towards the ex-convict as she entered the room holding a plate.

"Aw sweet a sandwich," Jack said suddenly, quickly grabbing half of the carefully prepared square off the plate as Miranda passed by on her way towards the sniper.

"Jack don't—ugh, are you always so bloody rude?"

"Wuh?" the biotic responded with her mouth full of chewed food, "You wan'it back?" she asked, opening her mouth and sticking her tongue out towards the operative."

Miranda scowled as she placed the remainder of the sandwich in front of London, "Disgusting. I don't think a starving dog would want that back, Jack. The point is that it was London's food."

London laughed softly as her hands felt around the table in front of her body for the plate, "It's alright I can share. Thank you for making me food."

Miranda glared at Jack as she reached for London's hand and placed it gently onto the sandwich half, "You shouldn't have to share with her, she eats everything on the damned ship as it is…and you're welcome."

"Whatever," the tattooed woman retorted as she practically inhaled the food, "you're just jealous that I have a fast metabolism and that your fat ass still has to exercise. Besides, she said she didn't mind sharin' so back the fuck up, Cheerleader."

London raised an eyebrow in amusement as she listened to the two women banter, "Are you two always like this?"

"Nah," Jack answered, "most of the time I just ignore the banshee completely. It gets old hearing about her daddy issues and getting' hit by the stick up her ass every time she walks by."

"Oh whatever," The operative said, her lip curling slightly. "…you are really one to talk about issues. You're a walking issue, Jack. You have the issues tattooed all over your body. How in the hell Shepard manages with you at night I will never know."

Jack grinned as she put the rest of the sandwich in her mouth, "Oh believe me Cheerleader… he _manages_ me just fine at night."

"Ugh," the operative said as she looked away in revulsion, "You know damn well that's not what I meant! Haven't you heard of a thing called privacy? You know what don't answer that—I'm talking to a woman who used to wear string as her outfit's top."

"Oh don't you play Ms. Innocent," Jack burst out laughing, "I've seen the shit you look through and buy on your terminal! '_After dark_ fashions', Cheerleader? Really? Who are you trying to impress? One of those guys on iPartner?"

Miranda's face turned beet red, and for the first time she was incredibly happy London couldn't see, "What the hell are you doing on my terminal!"

"But you're not denying it, are you! So before you go dogging my choice of clothing, make sure that you delete your browsing history on the extranet, princess."

"My terminal is locked! How did the likes of _you_ get in it? Better yet, what the hell were you doing in my office? I swear if I every catch you anywhere ne—"

London chewed on her food slowly, "Um…excuse me, but what's iPartner?"

Before Miranda could put a stop to the conversation the convict blurted out the slogan loudly, the satisfaction in her voice clear as day, "Executive matches for 'selective' people."

The sniper's eyes widened and she found herself coughing lightly after swallowing her food incorrectly, "…a dating service?"

"Not so much, no" the ex-convict mused, "more like a hit it and quit it type of place."

London blinked blankly, "hit it and quit it? Like…having….oh," she said finally, the realization that iPartner was a service used to find another person to have sex with.

Miranda sat still, her body quivering lightly with anger. Jack grinned widely, "_this one_ over here was an eager one—asking left and right for medical reports. Can't be to careful with all the diseases out there, can ya' Cheerleader?"

Lawson couldn't think of a single word to say. She had been embarrassed beyond comparison by the woman she hated most in front of a woman she cared deeply for. She knew she couldn't use her biotics or tech abilities against the foul mouthed ex-convict, it wasn't in her character. She was too good for that and would not stoop to the level Jack wanted to push her to. So, with whatever dignity she could muster, the operative stood from the table and made her way out of the room without so much as a word.

London's eyebrows went up in concern as she felt the woman beside her stand, instinctively reaching out to take hold of her but frowning sadly when she found only empty space and the lingering scent of flowers. "Jack," the sniper said warily, "…you shouldn't have said those things."

"She'll be fine," the biotic replied coolly, "She needs to learn to take the hits if she's going to be shoving them out like she's big shit. Why the hell do you hang around her anyways? She ain't like you."

"Like me?"

"Yeah," Jack repeated, "She ain't like you, and you ain't like her."

London considered the statement carefully before responding, "We are different in a lot ways; I guess that's true. But…we're also very much the same in a lot of other ways as well. She's a good woman, Jack. She has a history like any other one of us—probably done some stuff she's not to proud of. But she has a good heart and it's usually in the right place and for the right reasons. Just like another woman I know," she added, playfully nudging the biotic next to her.

Jack rolled her eyes as she stood up, "Whatever, you're free to think what you damn well please. But I don't want to hear about it the moment she starts to annoy the hell out of you with the whole '_waaa, poor me. I'm a rich girl who's had everything she's ever wanted but my daddy hates me. I have the personality of an ice cube and wonder why I still can't get laid, waaaa_.' Because I won't be there to tell you 'I told ya so'."

"What can I say, Jack" the sniper chuckled softly, "I guess we can't all have an amazing personality like yours."

"I know," the biotic agreed as she stretched her arms out and popped her back, "and it must suck to be you."

"Oh it does," the brunette mused in good humor, "I curse my unlucky stars every day because of it."

Jack looked at the young woman for a second before actually grinning, "You know…you're alright, London."

"Why thank you, ma'am." London said with an honest smile, playfully adding a gentlewoman's southern accent.

Jack lifted a brow, "Don't do that."

London laughed, "Sorry."

"I'm gonna' go back out and see if Shepard and the cricket are done. Tell Lawson to loosen the fuck up. Honestly, who gives a shit if she tried to get laid?" Jack paused, quickly finding a way to cover up the hint of unease in her voice. "She's pathetic. Whatever, I'll see ya in a few."

London nodded and waited for the biotic to leave, only getting up when hearing the front door close with a rather loud slam. Carefully she felt her away around the kitchen until finding the exit and following the wall to the bedroom. She had heard Miranda walk off in this direction and it was the only other room in this hallway. "Miranda," she called out quietly as she opened to door and stepped through, carefully turning around to close it behind herself. "Miranda, are you in here?"

When there was no reply London's brows crumpled in confusion, "Miranda?" she called out again, sure that this is where the operative must have gone. "Are you really going to lie to a blind girl and pretend that you're not here?" she asked suddenly, her tone coming out playful and tender.

Lawson groaned softly. She had been standing quietly near the window and observing the dark, calm trees of the forest beyond the house's back yard. "How did you know I was here?"

London smiled as she extended her hands in front of her body and slowly made her way towards the voice, "I heard you walk this way after you left."

"But how did you know I was in this room even after I didn't answer?"

The sniper's hand was finally taken by Miranda when she had gotten close enough; the operative wouldn't have wanted London running into the wall after all. London, who gratefully accepted the hand, positioned herself beside the XO before letting her hand fall free. "Lavender," she replied softly, her eyes locking on Miranda's with unexpected accuracy.

"Lavender?"

London reached up and trailed the length of Lawson's arm before her fingers finally came in contact with the long, dark tresses. "I think it's your hair," she said, twirling a silky strand through her finger, "…you smell like Lavender and drying spices. It's warm, comforting…very recognizable."

Miranda's gaze softened as she looked upon the brunette, her hand gently taking London's and moving it away from her hair. "London…"

The sniper frowned lightly at the action, her voice thick with concern, "Are you alright? I know Jack shouldn't have said those things in front of me—they were private."

"I'm not going to lie," Miranda said with false humor, "it was rather embarrassing. But with the Normandy always being so busy and with us having little time to just breathe I felt as though I needed—"

"Miranda," London interrupted softly, "you don't have to explain anything to me. It's your business and nobody else's concern."

"It was out of my character. I don't normally do or resort to things like that it's just…"

"You're human?"

"Pardon?"

"You're human," London restated softly, her fingertips bravely running down the other woman's forearm until she rested the flat of her palm against the back of Miranda's hand. "What you do is incredible, Miranda. I've seen the amount of work you have to do on the Normandy as second in command, and I've also seen the fierceness that you bring out to the battlefield with you. Commander Shepard is a lucky man to have you on his team. You do so much and I have yet to see you ask for anything in return. I admire and I respect that. So I don't see any harm or any reason for you to not want to relieve your stress—no matter the method. We're all adults. You're a smart woman, you know what you're doing, and… you have no emotional ties to another," she added at the end, her voice softening.

The operative stood there dumbfounded as she listened to the sniper's compassionate soliloquy, feeling the affectionate, comforting way London held onto her hand in encouragement. "I just don't want you to think of me as dirty or…cheap," Lawson explained, her tone lowering as if disgusted.

"I would never think of you as that," the brunette reassured, "please remember who you're talking to and what I used to do for a living. I used to have people visit daily. These people who wanted touch, fulfillment, and satisfaction. I should be the last person to ever judge another on that subject."

Miranda swallowed the anger in her throat, not wanting London's statement to get a rise out of her. She hated that London's body had been used for so long, and so repeatedly that they had actually left the evidence of their presence in the sniper's scarring. Lawson had seen the medical report; she had seen the damage done. "I'm sorry…"

London offered an encouraging smile and a squeeze of the hand, "Don't say you're sorry for something I had to do to support someone I love so dearly. I don't regret any of it. But this isn't about me, this about you. I just want you to know that's its okay. Jack was just trying to push buttons."

"Can I be honest?" the XO asked abruptly.

"Of course, I'd think nothing less from you."

"… The service never took me anywhere or accomplished anything anyways. In the end I just wasn't…interested—in any of them."

"No good looking ones?" London teased.

Miranda relaxed when noticing the other woman's calm demeanor, "They were _all_ good looking." She said honestly, "But…they were either clingy, failed my medical standards, annoying, way to romantic, way to macho, way to sensitive, just…ugh," she finally said managing to laugh at herself, causing London to smile widely in return.

"It seems you need a service with '_extremely_ executive matches for _extremely_ selective people'." The sniper taunted as she ran her thumb across the knuckles of Miranda's gloved hand.

Lawson was quiet as she looked onto the other woman. She couldn't stand how London's simple touch could make even her covered skin burn with passion, something that even her past lovers weren't able to do without the help of a glass or four of champagne. She had missed the company of the young brunette. She had missed the late night talks and short visits the gray eyed woman would give her while she worked away in her office for hours, making the paper work go by faster and even fun at times; So when Lawson finally replied, her tone lowered into a deep, sensual seriousness that caught even the operative by surprise, "What can I say?" she said finally, "I know what I want."

London could feel her cheeks grow heated as she considered the statement ever so carefully; as she listened to the way the operative broke down her sentence, to the way her tone changed in such a fashion the shook the very pit of the brunette's stomach. "…and," The sniper said before inhaling softly, gathering the nerve to fully voice her question, "…what… is it that you want?"

"London…I…" Miranda managed to slowly breathe out as she started to lean into the other woman, her eyes closing into a half lidded, wanton gaze. The operative was hesitant at first when placing her warm hand against the nape of the sniper's neck, but was soon encouraged when the other woman not only didn't pull away, but responded by finding a spot for her own hands to rest on the XO's hips.

"Yes?" the brunette gasped softly, her head naturally beginning to tilt as her eyes hooded. Her senses were on fire. Her sight had only been taken from her for a short while, and though she was still terrible at functioning on her own—everything about the operative made her body tingle all over, made her become more perceptive to her surroundings and the immediate woman in it. London could feel Miranda closing in, her heart racing wildly and eagerly as she felt the warm, delicious breath tickling her lips and drawing the sniper closer… and closer…"Miranda," she whispered, "tell me what you wan—"

"Hey guys, Shepard said that—uh…are you alright?" Garrus asked as he stormed into the bedroom, taking notice of the two women standing oddly erect and side by side, their chests heaving up and down as if someone had just scared the living hell out of them. His mandible twitched. "…you guys look…flushed," he said, an eyebrow risen in suspicion. "Is something out the window?"

"We're fine, Specialist Vakarian." Miranda replied quickly, her professional mannerism kicking into full gear as she tucked a loose strand of raven hair behind her ear neatly. "What did the Commander say?"

Garrus eyeballed the operative for a moment before deciding everything was alright and responding, "We're all done and everything is packed up. He just wanted to double check to make sure you had everything and were ready to go, London."

"I am," she responded quickly and with a firm nod. "Thank you, by the way. For burying them…I wish I could have—"

Garrus waved a hand at her, "Don't mention it. You needed to rest and clean up and what not. Are you feeling better?"

"I do feel better. I'm still blind, but I'm doing better." she responded with a kind smile and good sense of humor, "thank you for asking."

The Turian looked the woman over appreciatively, "Shall we?"

"We shall," the sniper responded easily, walking towards Garrus who gave the woman his arm. She stopped though before she reached the exit, turning towards Miranda with a hopeful tone, "Are you coming?"

"I am," the XO replied softly, "just give me a minute to double check if we've missed anything around the house," she lied, "I'll catch up."

London wasn't so easily fooled, but decided it best to simply agree for the time being and be escorted out by the eager Turian. When the sniper had left the room Miranda placed her warm forehead against the cool glass window.

_What the hell are you doing, Lawson?_

[End 23: Search and Rescue]


	24. Love and Something Like It

_Disclaimer: The Mass Effect Universe and everything in it belongs to BioWare. I only lay claim to London and Teagan._

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[Chapter Twenty-Four: Love and Something Like It]

**[Planet Watson/8:30PM]**

John double checked all their belongings as he spoke out, "London's sight has a short window of opportunity that we have got to take advantage of. The shuttle should be arriving shortly and we have to meet it at the landing point. The clearing is a few hours from here so let's move."

"Fine with me, Shepard" Jack mused, clapping her hands once loudly then proceeding to point at each other team member individually, "but…who's going to play the Seeing Eye dog for the blind girl?"

London wrinkled her nose and swatted playfully out in the direction of Jack's voice, missing actual contact by only an inch as the biotic happily weaved out of the way, "Cute, Jack. That was really, very cute."

"I thought so too," the tattooed woman grinned, "but really, we got a long ways ta' walk and I would hate to see you fall flat on your face—as hilarious as that would b—" She paused, "Actually," she said, the images coming to her head making her grin wickedly, "I take that back. Maybe we _should_ try letting you walk on your own. If anything it'd make for good entertainment as we get back to the shuttle."

"And here I was wondering _why_ you've been alone for the majority of your life, Jack. Who could resist such a darling like you?" Miranda said coldly out into the darkness.

"Oh pull out the tampon a little, Cheerleader. Your bleeding vagina needs to air out."

"Go to hell."

"Gladly," the biotic retorted, "I bet it'd be a fuckin' hundred times better than being stuck here listening to you bitch and moan all damn day long about EVERYTHING."

"Will you two just put a damn sock in it already?" Shepard groaned loudly, "Can we please just make it to the shuttle in one piece? The past few days have been long for everyone and I'm sure we're all tired. None of us have eaten—"

Jack smiled smugly, "_I_ ate."

"…wasn't your bloody food…" the operative grumbled under her breath.

"—_Some_ of us haven't eaten," Shepard corrected himself, his tone becoming ever slightly more annoyed, "and our mood is getting shittier by the second. So please, enough with the jabs at each other and more with the walking and less with the talking."

Miranda clenched her jaw and adjusted her tight work attire, "You're right, Commander. London's vision is on the line…we can't afford to slow down."

"…you really get grumpy when you don't eat, you know that Shepard?" Garrus asked with amusement in his voice.

John only mumbled quietly in return.

"Um…" Garrus suddenly asked with curiosity and bewilderment, "…speaking of London…where'd she go?"

The entire team did a double take as they looked around. Shepard blinked, "What the hell—"

"I'm over here!" the sniper yelled out already well in the lead of the group, walking with determination down the narrow trail.

"You're going the wrong way and you're gonna' run into a tree!" Jack called out, a large grin plastered on her face.

"You're lying!" London called back confidently, suddenly lifting a thin branch she had picked up off the floor that she was using as a guide. "I figured while you all are busy yelling at each other I might as well start my way back to the Normandy. I'm a little pressed for time as you all well know."

John couldn't help but shake his head and grin as told his team to move out, soon catching up to the briskly walking sniper with ease. "I guess you won't be in need of our help after all," Shepard said with a tone that easy passed as approving.

"I don't know about that," the young brunette chortled. "You might have to give me warning if there's a curve or something coming up. As far as _I'm_ concerned I'm just walking in a straight line."

"I'll be right by your side, London." Garrus voiced kindly, making his presence known as he walked beside the woman at an even pace. "Why thank you very much, Mr. Vakarian. Such the gentlemen," she laughed.

"I try," the Turian responded with a coy smile which in turn caused the XO to almost dominantly take place by the other side of the sniper and voice herself, "We're _all_ here for you."

Jack raised a brow at Garrus, "You're only _trying_ because she's totally bangable."

London did her best to not comment for the sake of keeping Garrus' embarrassment to a low, however, Garrus couldn't help himself when turned his head to look the biotic over seriously, his right mandible twitching in irritation. Jack scoffed, "oh don't even give me that look! You have to admit that if London looked like _Grunt_ you wouldn't go any where near that!"

The entire team seemed to imagine Grunt holding a bright pink sniper rifle and wearing a slightly crooked, long, light brown wig that billowed crappily in the wind. They shuddered.

"Dear God" Miranda finally voiced as she tried desperately to rid herself of the terrifying mental image. "Thank you for ruining every night of sleep I'll ever have again."

London raised her hand, "I second that."

Garrus raised his hand as well, "I third."

Jack smiled contently at the mayhem she caused as she made her way to walk beside Shepard, her hand casually slipping its way into his and holding firmly unbeknownst to the other team members. John looked at her indifferent face through the corner of his eye and smiled warmly, returning the gesture with a slight squeeze then entangling their fingers together.

"I have a question for you, Commander Shepard." London said after a few moments of silence.

"Shoot."

"How did you all know where I was?"

"It's a long story but the short version is we have a friend that just made it into the big time in the information dealing industry. She was able to get a hold of a few people that worked at getting information for the two guys tracking you. They pointed us in the right direction …and" he shrugged, "…well…here we are."

London's eyebrows knitted themselves in confusion, "Two? You were able to find out who _both_ my father's partners were?"

John nodded as he continued to walk, "Yes ma'am we were. You already dealt with one of them on your own, and fortunately we already know the location of the second. It's just actually getting the chance to get close to him that's the issue now."

London nodded in understanding, "What's his name?"

"His name is June Sanders. He's an older, more experienced man with enough notches on his belt to be considered 'well known' in the business of being a mercenary."

Garrus grinned as he voiced himself almost as an afterthought, "A well known, highly dangerous man named _June_…"

The sniper ignored the Turian momentarily as she mentally etched the name into her memory, becoming silent as she deliberated all courses of action in her mind. John took noticed of her bodies' change in posture, how she tensed and seemed to be focused on her thoughts. "We'll figure out how to get what we need from him, London. Don't worry."

"I think our needs might be …_different_, Commander."

Shepard considered his words carefully before responding, "I understand your need for vengeance but we need information from him; and until we get it he can't be killed."

London frowned and John exhaled heavily, "He's the arrow that points to the 'Buyer', London. Several other children have already gone missing and we can put a stop to that with the information he posses. If we lose Sanders we lose every tie that connects us to this guy. We'll be dead in the water and will have no place to start again."

"I understand that and that's fine," the sniper agreed heatedly. "You get what you need, this information gets taken care of, and then I get what's been owed to me for five years. Do we have a deal?"

"I don't care for the mercenary, I just want the information. But…" John paused, taking a moment to lower his tone into a tender but serious one, "killing him won't bring your parents back. It won't make the hurt go away."

Miranda eyed the conversing pair quietly, her gaze shifting back and forth between the calm commander and the surprisingly tense London. The XO listened as the sniper continued, "With all due respect, Commander—you think I don't know that?"

"I'm sure you know that. But I'm telling you what I think you don't know, and you need to hear this. I want you to know now that if you kill him, he will win regardless and he will change what you are and who you become. "

The slight irritation in London's voice couldn't be hidden as she listened to the Commander of the Normandy talk to her almost as if a child. "I can understand and respect your concern Commander, but I've already killed one of the two. I feel no different. What makes killing the other so special?"

"As far as I can see killing that merc was self preservation. You did what you had to do to continue to survive. Killing June will be different because at the moment you have the chance—you also are given the choice."

London scoffed as she walked along with Garrus and Miranda by her side, "Are you trying to tell me that if I kill him—I become _like_ him?" _What stereotypical advice._

"Not exactly, but I do mean something of the sort."

"I suppose we'll have to agree to disagree then, Commander; because that 'choice' that you're talking about? I've already had to make it several times over. What did you think I had to do in order to try and get Teagan off of Almos? I chose to pull the trigger each and every time. I killed each and every Blue Sun that I came across without so much as blinking."

"Preservation," Shepard said again with a certain concreteness in his tone. "Saving those that cannot save themselves is one thing. Killing someone purely in the act of vengeance is something completely different. I'm telling you now, London. It _will_ change you."

"Then I guess it'll just be something that I'll have to live with," the brunette responded stubbornly. "I'll just have to live with it just like I've lived with every other choice that I've had to make."

The rest of the team listened to the commander and sniper quietly as they continued to walk on. Miranda tensed at the subject, remembering a time when Shepard had stopped her from making the terrible mistake of killing Niket when the truth of his betrayal had come to culmination. She was glad the commander intervened. Perhaps the situations were vastly dissimilar but Miranda knew that Shepard had a point. If the brunette were to go through with it—it just might change her. It was London's decision, however. And no matter the selection the sniper would make, she was right in saying that she was an adult and would have to live with her choices. So, for the first time in a long while the operative decided to hold her tongue on the subject and was quite shocked when both Garrus and Jack did the same.

The rest of their one hour walk was made in silence.

"Shuttle!" the tattooed biotic suddenly shouted with surprising joy, "Fucking finally!"

The door to the vessel opened and a very happy Kasumi popped her head out, "All aboard!" Miranda couldn't help but release an exhale, hopping quickly into the shuttle and taking the driver's seat without a word.

Kasumi eyed the XO curiously, "You've been walking for a while and you still want to drive? I mean…that's what I'm here for—you know…to evacuate?"

Miranda kept her stone face as she clicked an assortment of buttons and fiddled with a few small levers, "I drive better and will get there faster. We have a time limit and can't afford mistakes." Lawson knew she should have worded herself a little bit better, but for some reason when it came to anyone other than London…she found that she really didn't care as much. She'd consider working on social communication later, but for now she found that she'd be able to live herself just fine.

The thief rolled her eyes and excused the rudeness of the 'Ice Queen', "Fine with me" she said with raised hands as she made her way to the back with the rest of the group, giving London a hello and tight hug during their small reunion.

"Are we all in?" the XO voiced.

"Almost," Garrus grinned as they walked up to the small transport vessel, helping the brunette in and getting her situated before he took his own seat opposite her, "I can't believe I'm going to say it…but I'm glad we're going back. It's been a long day."

"Agreed," John said tiredly, "I think we all deserve a shower and some food. Oh, and Dr. Chakwas is already waiting for you in the medical bay, London. When you're done and have been taken care of have Chakwas send me a message and we'll do a debriefing with the entire team. For now, everyone take a few hours off."

Before Garrus could volunteer to take the sniper to the med bay, Miranda hastily spoke up from the pit. "I'll take her myself to Dr. Chakwas, Commander." London suppressed the need to beam a smile while the Turian gave the operative squinty eyes.

"Not a bad idea, Lawson." Shepard agreed, "It's kind of convenient actually what with your work station and living area just being across the deck from the med bay. Do you mind, London? Or would you rather I be present?"

When London replied with a playfully sarcastic, "I'll be fine, Mom." Shepard grinned and rested his back against the shuttle's hard walls, a now sluggish Jack taking her seat beside him and mimicking his position.

Miranda securely shut the door and within a few quick strokes of the navigational tool and driver's mechanisms, the shuttle was quickly on its way.

**xxxxxxx**

**[Commander's Cabin/11PM]**

As soon as the door to his cabin closed, John swiftly picked the small framed biotic off her feet and threw her over his shoulder. His left arm held onto her legs securely while his right hand came up to smack her across her firm buttocks. Jack of course protested the entire time with a small stream of cursed words and aggravated cuffs across the commander's strong back, but was silenced when Shepard threw her onto the bed and slithered his way on top, his lips connecting with hers in an aching need that left the ex-convict breathless and quivering. John leaned away from her, his hands fumbling at her outfit's buttons and buckles, a small, aggravated growl leaving his lips. The biotic was comfortable enough to laugh freely as the commander messily removed her top and threw it onto the floor, finally getting the chance to flatten his body against hers as he brought his lips to kiss the soft, inked flesh between her breasts. He inhaled her deeply, his senses clouding with the slight scent of soap and sweat; his mouth working diligently as he tasted the sweet and saltiness of her skin. Jack's eyes rolled back as she smiled, her fingers running firmly through Shepard's hair and down to trail the muscles of his neck and back. "What's all this good lovin' for?" she said, finally managing to speak in between the gratuitous whimpers the commander always seemed to elicit from her.

"I need a reason?" the commander responded as wandering eyes scanned the soft flesh below. "I just missed you," he said sincerely, fingertips outlining some of the intricate patterns of Jack's more detailed work.

"Missed me? I've been around you all fuckin' day!" she said, laughing at his weird antics.

"But not like this," he replied, bringing his body up until his face was directly over Jack's. "We've had a real bumpy last week and I haven't gotten to spend nearly as much time with you as I would have liked," he explained, "Between situating Teagan, this whole Shadow Broker business, the 'Buyer', getting a hold of London," he exhaled wearily, his mind racing over everything they had been through as of late. "… I've just missed you…and I'm glad you're here with me tonight and not down in the cargo hold."

Jack tilted her head to the side and observed the man hovering above her, her hands resting on his biceps. John didn't say anything but instead just continued to look at her in return, letting the woman measure his words and the honesty he put into them.

She was quiet for the longest of time; so long in fact that Shepard's arms started to hurt a little from keeping himself up. But, after the extended moment of deep contemplation the biotic finally spoke up much to his relief, "…you really meant it…didn't you?" she said, her gaze uncharacteristically softening.

John smiled and nodded, knowing instantly what she was talking about. "I did. I meant it and mean it still. I mean it very much."

The tattooed woman reached up and cupped his face, bringing the man down onto her body and leaning up to catch his lips with hers for a brief, tender moment. "Say it again…" she murmured softly, her eyes averting his with a certain timidity that John had never seen before.

The commander grinned, taking her chin gently between his index finger and thumb and forcing the woman to look at him as he spoke, "I love you, Jack."

"Again," she demanded as a small flicker in her began to ignite.

His smile only widened, "I love you."

Jack's eyes went ablaze with passion as she studied the way the commander said the three words. No one had ever told her that so many times and meant it, and it fascinated the biotic beyond belief at the way it made her feel, the way it made him look, and the way her body so naturally responded. She leaned herself up to snatch John's lips in hers one last time before reaching down to grasp the rim of Shepard's shirt and pulling it over his head heatedly. Jack then pushed John back to where he was sitting on his knees between her legs, giving her time to gaze over her lover's thick, muscular frame and grin mischievously.

Shepard eyed her and smiled, slowly removing himself of his pants then reaching down to do the same for his love. Jack exhaled sharply as John removed her of her clothes, her eyes glazing over with lust. "I want you to show me," she commanded, her voice deep and sensual.

John rubbed his frame along hers; his hand tracing the length of Jack's side then swirling downward until they grazed past her hip bone then deviated from their path to slip into the biotic's undergarment, thick fingers cupping the biotic and teasing the already moist entrance with small, tantalizing strokes. "What do you want me to show you?" the commander whispered, his lips moving smoothly across the delicate skin where her jaw and neck connected.

"I want you to show me how much you missed me," she hissed pleasurably, her legs spreading more to accommodate her lover's touch and body, "Show me how much you love me."

"…think we have the time before the debriefing?"

Jack frowned up at him, but the playfulness in her tone was distinct, "You make it seem like you last more than a few minutes."

Shepard smiled into the kiss he gave Jack, shutting her up and allowing the woman to remove his boxers and fondle his length which in turn caused his jaw to tighten all at the same time. The biotic grinned as she slipped her panties to the side and placed the tip of her lover's member at her entrance. John groaned as he softly pushed his way in, rotating his pelvis and making her cry out in delight as she bucked forward, taking him deeper. He was absolutely mouth-watering inside of her, the way he stretched her, a warm, pulsing rod made of velvet sending waves of pleasure that washed over her with every breach that parted her flesh.

John moved faster, clenching between her thighs as he made the biotic arch and groan louder, her eyes flying open as he thrust, causing her to cry out rhythmically at the small, welcome ache he was causing as he took her slightly harder. It stung, but it was a good sting, it was a sting she wanted. "John," she gasped, her nails digging into his chest as wetness formed at the rims of her eyes.

John slowed, lowering his body to increase contact with the beautiful woman beneath him. He had never heard the biotic use his first name before. It was soft, intimate, and it made him burn with desire. "What are you feeling? Are you alright?" he said huskily, his breath ragged and chest heaving as he kissed at her jaw gently.

Jack writhed beneath his body, her moans quieting down to soft murmurs and approving sighs. She turned her face away in an actual display of embarrassment, her cheeks faintly darkening as she opened her lips to speak, "...I love you too."

Shepard was silent for a moment as he sunk in the three small words that made his world swell with devotion. He leaned down and pressed his lips to Jack's, kissing her fervently. He wanted—no he _needed_ to bring her release. He suddenly thrust faster between her legs. Her body started to jerk under his increasing speed, and Shepard watched her breasts bounce in time with his ministrations. The Commander began to angle himself, holding himself against her, working at bringing her climax to completion, pulling out almost entirely and sliding his full length in over and over, stimulating the biotic as much as he could.

Jack let out a moan of pleasure. She felt him draw back and anticipated another pleasurable thrust but groaned in half frustration and half excitement when she felt John hesitate, then ram into her as hard as he could, his mouth dropping open as he plunged into her wetness strongly, trying to drive himself through her body. The ex-convict let out a cry at his power, at the way he took her with abandon. Shepard gripped her right leg and lifted it as he placed it against his right shoulder and arched into her, working with the limb as he rolled inside, twisting his hips so her cries had renewed ardor. His blue eyes locked to her face as Jack cried out, her eyes wild, wet with passion and surrender.

John suddenly stopped and held himself deep inside her warmth, shuddering slightly and appreciatively as she squished around him, her prize glistening against his pelvis. Jack could only whimper, unable to speak with how far gone she had become. John caressed her face, leaning down to plant a loving kiss upon her full lips. She was so soft, so wet, so deep, so responsive, and so fucking beautiful to him as she cooed under his attention, her sights locked with his as he claimed every inch of what she freely and unendingly gave to him, an orgasm washing over her several, toe-curling times, surrendering to the power of his loving, yet feverishly dominant possession.

Jack had wanted him to show her his love, and this was him doing exactly that: John was loving her, claiming her, needing her in all ways that ranged from rough and lustful to gentle and loving—and Jack was blown away, intoxicated and inflamed by his desire, his passion, discovering there was something inside her that wanted it, wanted him just this way as he pounded inside of her, getting as close to her as he could, entwining, merging, claiming her body as his own.

Jack tightened around him again, and this time when her climax rolled over him it triggered a response, and he cried out hoarsely as he slammed into the biotic, dropping on her heavily, and bliss streaming through him as he gave himself release. It was Jack that Shepard wanted. It wasn't Liara. It wasn't any other woman—it was Jack, and she reveled in the final claiming, the absolute completion of his possession.

Jack trembled beneath his weight, feeling his hotness flooding her body, his silky voice whispering delicious, tender proclamations until finally his mouth locked with hers. The Commander sighed into her kiss for a moment before he slipped away, burying his face into the nape of her neck, his heart pounding against her own.

The biotic couldn't move—didn't want to move as small aftershocks of her pleasure shot through her body which quaked and occasionally jerked beneath the muscular form of her lover. John kissed her neck, biting harshly then offering relief to the hot, offended spot with the coolness of his tongue, reveling in the taste of the sweat their two bodies had produced.

Jack tilted her head and offered more skin, caressing the length of John's back in a steady, relaxing motion. She could feel the stress the Commander usually kept there melt away, and she couldn't help but grin knowing that she was the cause of it. Their love making was normal like the way John liked it and the way Jack needed it.

After several moments more John slid off of the tattooed woman but pulled her right back into his arms as soon he felt the coolness of his mattress hit the flat of his back. Obviously Jack wasn't one to be so touchy-feely, but John knew that after each occasion that they had the chance to make love that the biotic usually craved and sought the affection. John smiled; it was just another mystery to add to the biotic's complexity.

They talked for a while afterwards as the woman lounged contently in the commander's arms, his fingertip sliding down her body until it ran over the small, inked image of a sparrow that rested underneath her hip bone. "…and this one?" he asked, his finger lazily tracing the tiny tattoos outline.

Jack didn't have to look down to know what he was touching. "It's a reminder."

John's eyes brought themselves up to meet the biotic's. "May I ask of what?"

The ex-convict kept silent for so long the Commander thought she had decided to just not answer, "A girl I knew. All of us knew her as Sparrow."

John's eyes moved down to trace the small tattoo again, "Us?"

"Yeah. I met her as a kid back on Pragia. It's not like we ever had conversations or nothin'. I'd just see her around sometimes when they let me loose in the cage to fight. She was…different… and sometimes I'd find myself actually looking for her in the crowd."

"Why'd they call her sparrow?"

Jack kept her focus steady on a wall far opposite of her place on the bed, "She was older than most us by three or four years, but she was also smaller than us and hated fighting. She'd often get her ass kicked by the guards when she'd tell them she wouldn't do it. Sparrow might have hated the violence, but she was a tough bitch for a kid her age." Jack paused, her eyebrows undulating as she thought of the young girl, "They never broke her. They'd dope her up, rile her up, beat her senseless…but she never fought back. I thought she was a dumb-ass and weak for not defending herself but…in the end she went out being who she was and not the fuckin' animal they forced us to be. Somehow in that shit-hole she managed to get through all the testing and tortures and never lose herself. I respect that."

John tightened his protective hold on the woman beside him, "What happened?"

"I got yanked outta' my cell one day, right? They doped me up and threw me in the pit. The guard told me he had a big amount of creds on me. The news wasn't shocking; they always had big creds on me. It was just another fight and I was ready—I was happy to be out of my damn room. What I never expected was them throwing Sparrow into the ring with me. It was her first time there; they had never used her before—at least not in the cage because she had been so damn worthless at fighting." Jack's eyes saddened, "I remember standing in front of her so doped up and angry I couldn't fuckin' see straight. But…I could tell that she looked pisspants scared—she couldn't make out how to react to the cheering, screams, and… me. When the guards started the round she didn't move. She didn't budge one damn inch."

Jack reached up to rub her eyes before resting her head once more on Shepard's chest, "I remember the guards getting pissed, pointing their guns at us and yelling for us to start. I didn't have to be told a third time—I started the fight…placed a crap load of really good blows to her eye and mouth but…she _still_ didn't do shit back. I started getting angry—real angry. I didn't want to fight Sparrow if she wouldn't fight back. That shit was boring and pointless—I wanted a challenge, something to stretch the stiffness in my body." The biotics tone lowered, "The guards gave her two choices: Fight and defend herself for a chance at surviving me, or get shot on the spot."

Jack swallowed the small, dry lump in her throat. "She walked up to me and I put my fists up ready to go at it. I figured the guards finally put some sense into her after giving her only those two choices. But…" the biotic paused, her eyes closing as she went through the tender memory and shared it with Shepard.

_Sparrow stood before the young, angry biotic, the deep laceration over her left eye bleeding profusely and making it hard to see. Her lip was busted wide open and Jack could tell that her lower set of teeth were stained bright red with her own blood. Jack had done quite a number on Sparrow in just a few hits, but when the guards threatened her and gave her only two choices, it surprised the biotic that instead of Sparrow lifting her firsts or displaying her biotic technique…the girl simply walked up to Jack and gave the saddest of smiles. _

"_What the hell are you doing?" Jack hissed, her eyes wild, angry, scared, and puffy from both lack of sleep and drug intake. Her fists went up and readied themselves to defend her body._

"_I'm sorry," Sparrow simply replied, her eyes lowering to the ground._

_Jack growled, "Don't say sorry, FIGHT BACK."_

_Sparrow offered Jack another kind, sad smile before she reached out and delicately took the crazed biotic by the hand. Jack froze, completely caught of guard by the tender, almost loving gesture, "W-what are you doing?" the biotic asked in bewilderment, her facial features becoming struck with terror._

_Sparrow placed her other warm hand on top of Jacks and held onto it gently, "Maybe in another life…we'll get the chance to be friends."_

_Jack's eyes went wide._

_In the background you could hear another officer saying, "She's not a fighter and pointing that gun won't help the situation. Sir, this isn't even necessary to our research. She doesn't have to fight—none of them have to fight. We can perform tests that—"_

_A loud bang echoed throughout the room and Sparrow's eyes went empty. She seemed to stand for a few moments more, but soon her body gave way to the lack of life within it and crumbled forward to leave Jack shocked and blood sprayed only a foot from the fallen biotic. Jack snapped. She couldn't take it anymore. She was getting out. Now._

The ex-convict opened her now slightly puffy eyes, "It's funny. The girl that did nothing ended up having the biggest impact on me…and that's why I got the tattoo. I didn't know her too well…but she was the first person to ever give a damn in some twisted way. A lot of shit has happened in my life; some shit I don't remember, some shit I forced myself to forget, and then there other spaces in between that just form one big ass, blank question mark. But out of everything, she will always be someone I remember. That tattoo is my promise to that."

John reached a finger underneath her chin and forced the woman to look at him. They stared at each other for the longest of time before John finally leaned in to connect his lips with hers. "I love you, Jack," he softly reminded her.

The biotic buried her face deeply into the Commander's neck as she threw her arm over his chest lazily. "…I love you too. Fucker."

John grinned at the nick name she had used for him oh so often. It wasn't exactly what most people called endearing, but from Jack it was meant with all the love in the world, and the Commander couldn't pretend to mind. However, something about Jack's words struck John just then as he lay holding the woman he loved. She had so many blanks in her life that she would never be able to fill. But, perhaps with some digging, a little luck, and the Shadow Broker on his side he'd be able to help fill in those gaps, he would help Jack fill in the missing parts of her past. Whatever she wanted to know, he would help her find. This was something he would most definitely speak to her about later.

**xxxxxxx**

**[The Med Bay/ 11 PM]**

"Okay, my dear. Open those gray puppies up for me," Dr. Chakwas said with a smile, her left hand cupping London's chin while her right hand shone a small light into her eyes. "Do you feel anything different now that we've applied the drops?"

London shook her head slowly from side to side, "No ma'am, I don't."

"Is there any change what so ever in your vision?"

London shook her head once more, "It's still black."

Miranda paced slowly around the medical bay as she observed Chakwas apply another drop into each eye then proceed to rub the closed lids ever so gently as she spoke, "Don't fret just yet, darling. You got to me a little late so it could take a few hours for the drops and pills to take effect. I recommend applying the drops every four hours on the dot starting now. In these first four hours you might notice little to no change, but by the second dosage you should start seeing visible results if not have your sight back completely. I'm assigning you a third dosage just as a safety precaution and peace of mind. I'll stay up with you tonight and help you apply the drops to—"

"You don't have to do that, Dr. Chakwas," Miranda interrupted, "I'd be more than happy to monitor London while you get some rest."

The doctor turned towards Miranda with a raised brow, "Oh don't worry yourself, dear. You've had a long day today and I'm sure you need the rest more."

"I insist, Doctor," she said with that signature business-like tone that always got her what she wanted, "The paper work on my desk has piled up since I got hurt and was required to stay here in the med bay. I have a lot that needs to get done and won't be resting regardless, so I don't mind at all keeping London company and making sure her drops are applied at the proper times."

Helen turned towards London and placed a warm hand onto the brunette's shoulder, "London it's your decision, dear. It's my duty to stay here with you to make sure you're properly cared for. I just want you to know that I don't mind in the slightest monitoring you and applying your medication. However, if you'd rather go with Operative Lawson then that would be alright as well."

Miranda looked onto the brunette in silence as she awaited the answer. London had smiled widely and reached out to clasp Helen by the elbow, "Thank you very much, but I would hate to have you wake up every four hours to attend to me. If Ms. Lawson is going to be awake regardless then I wouldn't mind being under her watch—if that's okay with you of course."

Dr. Chakwas rubbed the brunette on her back softly much like a mother would to her child, "Of course it's fine."

Miranda nodded towards Helen, "Doctor, would you mind sending the Commander a message and letting him know that London should be better by morning. It would mostly likely be in his best interest to just do the debriefing at that time—but of course, it's his call."

"I'll take care of that as soon as I reach my quarters, Ms. Lawson. You two have a goodnight and remember," she added, turning to face the pair before exiting, "every four hours, ladies."

Miranda nodded quickly, "Of course."

When London heard the med bay's door hiss shut she smiled gently out into the room, "Thank you for helping me with my vision and…for staying with me…again. I appreciate it."

"London," Miranda said softly, reaching out to take the woman by the hand and getting her up onto her feet, "I think…we have to talk."

The sniper lowered her empty eyes to the floor and nodded, "I know."

"Will you come with me to my office?"

"I will," the brunette replied, holding onto the operative's hand firmly as she was lead out the door through deck three and into the privacy of the XO's office.

**xxxxxxx**

**[Miranda's Office/12AM]**

London sighed contently upon feeling the cold, scented air of Miranda's office hitting her face. The temperature in this room was vastly different from the temperature kept around the rest of the Normandy and London loved it. "What time is it?"

"Twelve A.M. You should probably rest for the next three hours while you wait. I'll be sure to wake you on the dot to apply your eye drops," Miranda said as she led the brunette towards her bed, guiding the woman backwards until she sat on the mattresses edge comfortably.

London's eyebrow rose in confusion as looked up in the operative's general direction, "I thought you wanted to speak with me?"

"I do," the XO replied quickly, "but I think it would be best if you had your vision while we…talked."

The sniper knew exactly what she wanted to speak of, and she couldn't help but agree at the woman's wishes. The two women had been merely half an inch away from kissing and they needed to discuss what was going on between them—something that London would like talk about while being able to look the operative straight in the eyes. It was important. "Alright then," the gray eyed woman agreed softly, "I'll just rest until three A.M comes along. You'll be sure to wake me?"

"I'll be sure. I'm not going to be getting much sleep tonight—I wasn't lying when I said I had work that needed to get done. The Commander will most likely order for a meeting tomorrow morning—well…I guess technically it'd be a few hours, but I have to have things prepared for the discussion."

London nodded as she backed herself up onto Miranda's bed and slowly lay down onto the woman's sheets. They were cool, comfortable, soft against the sniper's skin, and smelled incredibly good. London sighed happily as she turned onto her side and quietly placed her head onto one of the operative's pillows. She couldn't help herself from lightly smelling the material beneath her cheek; it was exactly as Miranda's hair smelled and the brunette smiled fondly. However, the minutes turned into an hour and London eventually found herself to be restless as she lay silent in her darkness, Cavan's voice echoing faintly in the back of her mind,_"…it must be terrible to be in your position, to not know if someone is there or not…"_

Miranda would observe the woman from time to time quietly, watch as she shifted and moved on the mattress, her hair sprawled out in all directions as she tossed and turned.

"Miranda?"

The operative looked up from her busy work, "Yes?"

London breathed a sigh of relief from her place on the bed, "…you're very quiet."

Miranda raised her eyebrow, "That's usually how it's suppose to be when someone is trying to rest in the middle of the night." London felt silly and decided to say nothing after that, but Lawson was not so easily fooled and could practically feel the sniper's state of restlessness. It was so thick she might have as well cut it with a knife. "What is it, London?"

The gray eyed woman groaned in resignation, "I just…I can't hear you do anything; can't hear you typing, writing, not even breathe."

"I assure you that the entirety of the Normandy will know when I cease to breathe." Miranda turned her attention back on the sniper, not quite understanding where she was getting at.

London sighed, sitting up and giving the space in front of her an unimpressed look, "Not exactly what I meant."

Miranda grinned at the sniper's expression, "So I gather."

"Damn it, Miranda" London said irritably but no where near offensive as she gestured with a rigid hand, "I just…I just can't sleep wondering whether you're _there_ or not. You're so quiet!"

Lawson remained silent while she thought of possible solutions to the problem which in turn caused London to groan unhappily and flop back onto the firm mattress. Miranda studied the woman; there was no way she was going to start breathing heavier like some sort of deranged phone creeper and she sure as hell wasn't going to start typing or scribbling her notes like a maniac. She considered the gesture of touch momentarily because London seemed to appreciate the contact more as of late in her current state of blindness.

"Oh will you stop it," the sniper said suddenly, shocking Miranda out of her thoughts. London searched the space in front of her in an act of frustration, "Stop being so quiet! I can't take it," the brunette said, the frustration in her voice soon placed with an almost desperate plea. She didn't want to hear Cavan or the sound of an M5 echoing throughout the walls of her mind anymore.

Miranda stood up then, needing the other woman to calm down because the distress was unsettling the operative for reasons she did not want to voice aloud just yet. "Where are you going?" the sniper asked, alarmed when she heard Miranda's heels clicking softly against her office's floor. It was surprising however when London suddenly felt the familiar, gloved hand on her shoulder.

"Lie down, London."

London looked up in Miranda's direction in uncertainty but eventually did as she was asked, becoming pleasantly surprised when she felt a warm, curvy body settle behind her, an arm soon after wrapping around London's waist reassuringly. Miranda, who was now behind the brunette, propped herself up against her bed's headboard, "Now you'll know that I'm here; is this satisfactory?"

London's breath came in smaller, shaky inhales as she rested against the operative. No one had held her like this since she was only nineteen years of age. "I-It is but…won't you fall asleep like this?" London asked, worried that the operative might not finish her work load.

"Dr. Chakwas would never let me hear the end of it if I missed the second set of eye drops you're suppose to be given. I'm the second in command, what would people say if I failed to do something so simple?" Miranda answered flatly, hiding her nerves with seasoned grace. Even though she adored that London's warm presence seeped through her cold exterior, she still wondered why she lent out her entire body instead of just her lap or hand. It was a bold and childish, but she noticed the other woman didn't complain… and it was a very promising sign.

After a few quiet moments London adjusted herself gently against the operative, finally revealing a soft smile. She covered the arm that was resting across her stomach with her own and leaned her head back to rest it against the operative's shoulder, her head falling comfortably to the side to where Lawson's chin now rested on the top of the brunette's head. "Try to sleep now, London" the XO soothed, "I'll wake you up in two hours."

**xxxxxxx**

Time went by quickly for the operative, and before she realized the two hours had come and gone. The left side of her body had become slightly numb but she didn't mind. London had been sleeping so soundly it would have been cruel to wake her. Miranda lifted her free hand to shake the woman leaning against her softly, "London, it's time for your eye drops. Wake up."

The sniper sat up groggily, her tired eyes fighting her every step of the way to wake up fully. But something had struck the sniper just then as her lids managed to open half way: color and shape. It was blurry at first, everything seeming as if it had been sunken underwater. But then, as the seconds turn into minutes London found her vision began to clear. Objects became focused, their outlines crisp and clean. Her full lips lifted at the ends, turning upwards into a large smile. "I can see," she said softly, her eyes looking around the room and over every single thing she could spot. "I can see!" she repeated, her body twisting around to rest on its knees while her gaze was directed upon the woman who didn't move behind her. London leaned forward and beamed her smile outwards towards the widely smiling operative. Upon first glimpse of the beautiful XO London's breathe caught. She had remembered the woman fondly in her mind's eye, but for some reason the sight always seemed so much better when face to face. The sniper lunged forward and engulfed the other woman in a hug so tight Miranda thought she could possibly suffocate if it went on for too long.

"Hi," London whispered softly into Lawson's ear.

The operative returned the gesture happily, responding to the greeting through a wide grin, "Hello, London."

"Thank you," the brunette proclaimed tenderly, "thank you so much."

"Don't mention it," the XO replied modestly, "but here—we're not done yet. Tilt your head back a little so I can put the second set of drops in."

London nodded and lowered herself from sitting on her knees to actually sitting on the bed, leaning forward and tilting her head back so Miranda could sit on her own knees to hover above the woman and apply the small, liquid drops. "There we go," Lawson said happily. "How do you feel? Do your eyes still sting?"

"A little bit but it's not too bad," responded London who had now closed her eyes to absorb the medicated drops.

"So far so good then," the operative said kindly before silently staring down onto London's tilted face. The brunette was so close and the position was perfect; all she would have to do is lean down and…

Miranda brought the back of her gloved had to run down the sniper's cheek, "London…we—"

"—have to talk?" the sniper finished, her eyes opening slowly to stare up into the face that hovered above her.

Miranda offered a small smile as she looked down into her lap then up into London's eyes, her tone uneasy and anxious—something that London had never heard before. "Yes…we have to talk."

After a small moment of silence the operative continued, "I'm…curious about certain things that I believe have been happening between us. So," the operative stated apprehensively, "I would simply like to know your stance on the subject. Or rather," she gently correctly, "I would like to know your… _feelings_."

Before the brunette could open her mouth, Lawson decided to add just a bit more commentary, "I would also like to say in advance that you know I'm no good at making friends or holding relationships so what we have is…special to me, London. You're a great… friend," Miranda managed to say softly, finding the term 'friend' to hold little truth into the deeper emotions that the XO felt towards the sniper, but knowing no other word to describe the relationship as it was.

London did well to conceal the look of disappointed that wanted to display across her features after Miranda explained her as nothing more than a friend. "I care for you, Miranda." The sniper said honestly and softly out into the quiet office. "I care for you very much…but…"

Lawson swallowed, "But?"

"I'm a little confused. There's a lot going on right now…"

Miranda nodded in agreement, "There is, I will not argue with that. We're dealing with this 'Buyer' and…with the Reapers still being a threat to our very species I know that something like this in the middle of everything else is reckless and stupid and—"

"What is _this_, Miranda?" London asked quietly, curiously, her eyes never leaving the operatives.

The blunt question caught the XO off guard as she furrowed her brows and stumbled for a response—something that _never_ happened to her, "I…well…like I've said, you've been a wonderful _friend_ to me and—"

"—Miranda?"

"Yes?" Lawson asked, her frustrations getting the best of her as she unconsciously began to chew on the inside of her lower lip.

The ex-exotic dancer sighed heavily as she brought her eyes down, "I'm just going to be honest and say that if you consider me merely a friend then I fear that I care for you more than I should."

There was nothing but silence.

London covered her eyes and laughed lightly at herself to cover the hurt and embarrassment when Miranda didn't reply. Who was she kidding? She was blind when she tried to kiss Miranda; it could have all been in her head—damn her romantic imagination. "You've been so wonderful to me so…excuse me if I began reading the relationship incorrectly. I feel silly. You probably never even…" The sniper could say no more. She swallowed the dryness in her throat and turned to throw her legs over the bed. "I should go…I'm sorry. Thank you very much for everything. Excuse me."

"…your favorite color is orange."

"…what?" the brunette asked quietly as she stopped her movements, her eyes turning around to meet Miranda's intense gaze.

"Your favorite color is orange," the operative said again softly, "…you play the qitan and love to sing. You're an avid reader of poetry books and romance novels, and have grown to have _quite_ the romantic imagination because of it. There's um…" Miranda raised her finger and wobbled it around in the direction London's shoulder, "there's a small scar behind your left shoulder in the shape of a small finger tip. It's most likely a biotic burn from Teagan because of her problems controlling the Eezo nodules. You don't mind it though because you never bother to hide it…because you are a wonderful, loving, beautiful sister who would do anything for her family. And…" the operative paused, her eyes bringing themselves down then around towards her nightstand, "You craft jewelry, or at least you used to. The box that you kept all your pieces in is empty and the music no longer plays because it's broken. It's in here," the XO said, motioning towards the drawer. "I kept it because I knew it must have been important for you…and because…it was a gift from you. I value it."

London looked the operative over in awe, her voice soft and impressed. "You remembered all of that about me? Why?" she asked tenderly.

There was silence for a moment as Miranda decided how to respond. The operative crawled her way over towards the sniper and London quietly gulped and averted the other woman's gaze. Miranda reached out with one hand and directed the sniper's face towards her own so that she could see the brunette properly and then, with the utmost care, she lifted her other hand so that she was cupping London's face. The brunette's breath caught and found she could not speak. Miranda gazed into the other woman's eyes and her lips parted; there were words on the tip of Miranda's tongue; they were warm, gentle, romantic words, but as Lawson looked upon London she could not force any of the words past her lips. Instead, the operative found herself swaying forward and when her lips parted again it was to sigh softly and contently against London's lips as the raven haired woman kissed the brunette like she had been aching to for weeks.

London inhaled sharply, her chest heaving as she leaned in and kissed the Operative in return, the warmth of Lawson's mouth enveloping her entire being as she tasted Miranda for the first time; so soft, so accepting, and from the feel of it they knew it would not—_could not_ be the last. Miranda trembled against the sniper as London's tender motions became bolder, her tongue entering the XO's mouth hungrily, questing, seeking, and familiarizing itself with her taste, her heat, her softness. Lawson opened to her, answering the sniper's hunger with her own, mewling as London began to unconsciously caress Miranda's tightly clothed body, her smooth hands moving over the operative's curves. The sniper's lithe fingers found themselves wrapping around Miranda's zipper and tugging gently downwards until it rested two inches below the XO's belly button. Lawson gasped when the sudden cool air hit her increasingly heated skin then shuddered heavily when she felt the warmth of London's palm make contact and caress the flesh beneath the Operative's tight attire.

Miranda was beginning to drown in desire; to lose herself as her thoughts swirled in a thick mist and her body arched into the other woman's touch. She wanted more; she wanted to know what it felt like to have her own body spread and naked beneath such a powerful force; a force that she couldn't help but find extremely sexy and beautiful in more ways than she could possibly count at this given time. But this was going to fast…wasn't it?

"Wait, wait, wait," Lawson gasped, her hands resting firmly on the sniper's shoulders as she finally pulled her lips away and rested her forehead on the brunettes.

"What?" London answered in alarm, her gaze hooded and heavy. "What's wrong?"

"Slowly," Miranda responded, her own chest rising and falling like mad. "Whatever this is becoming we need to do it slowly. I," Miranda turned away for a second, her cheeks turning an unfamiliar shade of pink before she turned to look back, "…this is the first time I've ever done anything like _this_…and…this is also the first time I've cared this much—as horrible as that might make me sound. So…I'd like to do it right. But only," she continued, pulling herself away and making sure London was looking into her eyes, "_only_ if you understand what we would be getting ourselves into. We're right in the middle of something big, something dangerous, and we know the risks that come with that. I have an important role to fill on this ship as you well know and I need to make sure that you're okay with me…with wanting to be with me—_if_ you want to be with me." Miranda bit her lower lip as she looked unsurely onto the brunette, "…um…_do_ you… want to be with me?"

London had started to smile half way through Miranda' babble, her head nodding softly towards the other woman as she leaned herself in to bring the operative another soft kiss, her voice low and velvet smooth, "What do you think?"

"I KNEW IT. Oh my God! You two are just so CUTE!"

Miranda and London practically jumped out of their skin at the sudden, loud voice that cooed at their tender actions towards one another. The operative's gaze widened then furrowed so deeply that London thought the wrinkle between the XO's eyes would never go away, "…KASUMI!"

The cloaked thief giggled madly as she ran out of the door squealing and cooing like an excited child. Miranda motioned quickly to get off the bed before London reached out to take firm hold of the woman, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to _kill_ her," the raved haired woman said viciously, "Where's your sniper rifle? You see, I know her combat maneuvers." The operative tried to explain, her fingers making shapes on the bed's surface as if trying to lay out a battle plan, "She's tricky up close with her cloaking ability but if you take her from afar— a vantage point preferably, you'll be able to render all of her—"

The sniper laughed lightly as she took the other woman's hands into her own, "So what if she knows?"

Miranda groaned as she flopped back onto the bed and brought her arms up to cover her face, "If she knows now, _everyone_ will know by morning...and what with the meeting I don't want anything to distract—"

London grinned as she laid her lithe body half on top of Miranda, "So?" the sniper said, slowly removing Miranda's arms and uncovering the operative's beautiful face, "let them know," she continued, leaning her lips down to press against the others, "…and let them be _jealous_."

Lawson groaned happily into the kiss as she reached up to wrap her arms around the brunette's neck. There would be time for team meetings, and killing Kasumi later…but for now, all she wanted to do was bask in London's warmth and the new relationship they had begun to slowly form.

[End 24: Love and Something Like It.]

* * *

_A/N: There you Miranda/ London lovers, get off my back. ;P_


	25. The Game Plan

[Chapter Twenty-Five: The Game Plan]

**[ The Normandy/ 6AM/ Miranda's Quarters ]**

As the soft music of string instruments filled the ears of the sleeping pair, a loud, digital voice overrode the peaceful music to herald in the new day, "_Good morning, it is 6AM! Today is Monday December 2__nd__, 2183. The current temperature in your cabin is set to __18.33 °Cel—"_

Miranda's eyes snapped open as her hand slammed down onto the loud alarm clock. She had only closed her eyes three hours ago, but the operative had adapted to running on such little slumber. London, however, _needed_ the rest and alarm clock be damned Miranda would let her have it. The operative grinned at herself, unaccustomed to caring if another individual was able to sleep or not.

"…_Relationship_," Miranda said silently, "_That's certainly not something I thought I'd ever really be in,"_she thought, a small smile spreading across her lips as she relaxed back into the warmth of her bed sheets.

Lawson rolled the 'r' word silently across her tongue a few more times in wonder before beginning to think of the conversation they had from last night,_"I know that I had asked her to take it slowly…but I don't think she even touched me in our sleep. Actually…was she anywhere near me?"_she questioned, her eyes squinted in thought.

Miranda wasn't one to be self absorbed. In fact, she considered herself to be imperfect in many, many ways. But she also knew that along with her highly sought capabilities, there was the simple fact that physically she was perfect. Normally if Miranda had taken a lucky individual into her bed, and if they were allowed to _stay_ in her bed afterwards, they couldn't wait to touch her…but last night? Miranda couldn't remember even feeling anyone next to her.

The operative had taken up the left side of the bed and, like usual, slept on her side facing a far wall of her room. Quickly she rolled onto her back and turned her head to notice an already awake London propping herself up on one elbow and looking at the wide space between their two bodies with the seemingly same expression and question on her face. Somehow in the middle of the night both women separated to their own individual sides and faced outwards and away from each other.

London offered the XO a small, embarrassed shrug, "Sorry. I guess it's just habit to sleep on the very edge of the bed when you're used to a little sister hogging the entire mattress. I usually get about _this_ much space to myself," she said, illustrating her words by displaying an inch between the palms of her face to face hands.

Miranda grinned, "And here I was beginning to believe that you found my sleeping form… unattractive?"

"Impossible," the sniper replied, her left eyebrow rising up in amusement as her own smile formed across her lips. "But you know…I could presume the same for _you_. What's your excuse, hmm?"

The operative tilted her head, "As to why _I'm_ way over _here_ and _you're_ way over _there_?"

London's smile widened, her eyes bright with mischief as she slowly inched her way forward towards the dark haired woman, "Mhmm…"

Cerulean eyes observed the brunette's actions before giving the honest answer, "I've simply gotten used to sleeping alone. I always take up the left side of my bed and pretty much just huddle to myself. You're the first company I've had in a while. I'm not used to it—to _this_."

London continued to carefully move over towards the other woman until her face was just inches above the XO's. Lips remained sealed and silent as gray and blue eyes danced and examined each other.

"Don't worry," came the quiet response to the unasked question, "This won't become a habit. I'll be sleeping in my own quarters tonight."

Miranda reached up and cupped the other woman's face in silence. She had to admit that London continued to impressed her to no end; this brunette must be rare indeed—to find someone who could answer the question you couldn't bring yourself to ask—someone who spared you the mixture of emotions that came with wanting a little space every other night. Sensitivity was not her strong point, and she was glad that this small mercy was granted on her. It would have most likely come out harsh and disconnected to what she truly felt but always seemed unable to express.

London leaned into the woman's caress, "We're taking it slowly, I know. Something like this is new to both of us and I think what we're doing is a good thing. Little by little and step by step," she managed to say with a smile.

Lawson could only nod as her voice came out in a hush, "But I'm so happy to have you here now."

"Well I'm glad to be here…and good morning," the sniper whispered, leaning down to finally press her velvety lips against the matching softness of Miranda's.

Miranda felt her body tense for the briefest of moments before allowing herself to relax into the new, increasingly familiar scent and feel of London. The operative couldn't help but smile into the gesture of affection before replying, "… good morning to you too. How are your eyes? I still need to apply the third set of drops."

The sniper observed Lawson's fine facial features and gave a lopsided grin, "I don't think the drops are needed. My eyes are great. I don't even feel the sting anymore."

"Safety first," the operative retorted firmly, flipping London over so the sniper was laying on her back. Smoothly Miranda reached over to take hold of the small bottle on her nightstand before retaking her position beside the other woman's body. "Ready?" she asked, the grin never leaving her mouth.

London laughed softly, her arms resting above her head and flat on the mattress, "I guess I don't have much of a choice when you're in charge, so, command me, Executive Officer—your wish is my desire."

Miranda leaned over just a bit, her eyes staring intensely into London's, "…I'll be reminding you that you've said that quit often. Now keep those eyelids wide open."

The sniper rolled her eyes then did as 'asked'. "Yes ma'am."

The operative was tender in her administering of the medicated drops, being sure to add the correct quantity so that only a miniscule amount of liquid spilled over the rim of London's eyes and down her cheeks. "There we have it," Miranda said softly, slender fingers gently removing the excess fluid from the sniper's exquisite cheek bones.

Keeping her eyes shut so the medicine could absorb London smirked, "Thank you very much for everything you've done. I know I've probably said it one hundred times over, but…I appreciate it."

Miranda looked upon the woman beneath her and leaned down to place a trail of kisses from the sniper's eyes down to her lips, "I know you do…and you're very welcome. Now," she continued, swiftly patting London on the thigh then proceeding to stand up from her bed, "get up. We have a lot of work that needs to get done today and I have a meeting with Shepard up in the Comms room soon. I need to get ready."

London exhaled then nodded firmly, "As do I. But first…would you mind if I used your terminal to get a hold of Teagan? I haven't been able to speak with her as of late…you know why."

"Of course I don't mind but…what happened to the one I bought for you if I might ask?"

The brunette bit her lower lip lightly, "I had a rather dramatic moment out in the rain and I'm afraid it got a little wet in my pack." When Miranda didn't say anything London quickly continued, "I'll have it repaired though, I promise! I'm sure if I were to take it to Tali, Gabby, or..." the next name made her eye slightly twitch, "…_Kenneth_, that it'll be up and running in no time."

After a small moment of silence and observing the sniper's reaction, Miranda finally offered a tiny smile, "You know I could probably fix it myself …or better yet, I could just have it replaced."

London sighed lightly at the operative, "Your time is valuable and I will not have you wasting it on my mistakes. Plus, you've said it yourself that you've got a lot of work to do today. I don't want to add to that."

"If you insist," Miranda said neutrally as she moved to sit at her terminal and open a secure line for London, "A secure link has been established for use. You'll only have access to Teagan's I.P. All other access links have been blocked, encrypted, and secured. I will be notified immediately if any other link or folder other than the one I have specified is trying to be entered." There was a small pause after she finished the sentence. Miranda wrinkled her brow at her overly professional mannerisms towards the sniper and tried her best to explain in a more sensitive manner, "…I hope you understand why. It's not that I'm untrusting of you, and I don't mean to be absurdly secretive about anything it's just—"

"—your job. I understand," London said kindly, placing a hand on Miranda's shoulder in reassurance. "I only need it to speak with Teagan and I'll be as quick as possible."

Miranda tilted her head and looked up into London's gray eyes, "Thank you…but please don't rush yourself. I need to take a shower, feel free to remain here and speak with Teagan for as long as you'd like."

London took a step back and allowed the operative to pass, "It probably won't be a long chat. She has class soon and I don't want to make her late. So if I'm not here when you come back out I'll probably be in my own shower."

"Right," Miranda nodded, "Oh, and before I forget, I told Teagan that the reason you hadn't been able to speak with her for a while is because you were sick with the common flu. I told her I was keeping you bed rested. So…if she asks you how you're feeling now—you'll know why."

London chuckled, "Keeping me in bed? You? Why not down in the medical bay?"

"Because," came the cool reply, "I promised Teagan that _I_ would be the one to take care of you whilst you were ill."

The sniper's eyebrows furrowed, "She should know that I am more than capable of—"

"—handling yourself. Yes, I'm sure she does. You're welcome by the way."

London sighed softly with a small smile, "… thank you."

"Anytime," Lawson winked as she grabbed two towels and entered her bathroom.

After a few moments of fixing her appearance in the monitor's reflection, London requested permission to begin a video chat with her little sister. It was a minute before anything happened, but soon the black screen burst into color with a small, long-haired, brunette in its focus. "LONDON!" came forth the sudden, booming voice from the terminal's speakers. It was loud enough to make the older brunette jerk back in her seat and clear enough to know that the beaming child was ecstatic.

Upon seeing her little sister's smile London had to blink several times to keep her tears at bay. She hadn't been able to visit the small biotic since they had parted, and it was rougher than she had imagined living a life without her little sister. "Hey, Tee! I'm so sorry I haven't been able to speak with you as much as I usually do…"

"It's okaaaaaay. Ms. Laws—," the child paused, clearing her throat lightly and trying to use the name the operative had asked her to use, "…M-Miranda told me that you were feeling very sick? Are you all better now?"

London smiled, "I am, sweetie. Miranda did exactly as you asked of her and got me back to tip-top shape. How are you? How are you classes?"

Teagan grew quiet and lowered her head, "They're going well."

The sniper eyed her little sister quietly and observed the child's new demeanor, "…Teagan, what's the matter?"

"I-It's nothin'…"

London leaned into the monitor, "Teagan Mae O'Conner," she warned, "I've known and taken care of you your entire life. I think I would know when something is bothering you. Is it one of your classes? Are you struggling in the course?"

"Nono," the child replied quickly, her hands waving frantically at the screen, "This stuff's easy!"

"Then what is it?"

Teagan crossed her arms and hugged herself as she leaned a little further back into her seat, "…it's just…"

London's expression changed to a more sympathetic one, "Tee, you know you can tell me anything…"

"Well," came the tiny voice, "…t-there's this girl in my class named Jaina Weiz that makes fun of my ear. I think she's just jealous that I have a prettier backpack than her but…she's just terrible, London! She says such mean things…and she does it in front of everyone! I've never done nothin' to her…she just… hates me." Teagan shrugged half heartedly and slumped into her seat as she thought about the girl and the mean words that were spoken.

London knew it would be silly to reach out and touch the monitor, so instead she scooted her chair a little farther into the desk in concern, "…what does she say that makes you so upset, Sweetie? Do you wanna' talk about it?"

The tiny biotic frowned as she looked down at her feet, "She says I got a little pyjak ear so that means that I must be related to them. Then she said _'I bet your mama looks like one too!'_…so I told her that mama is beautiful! But…then she asked what mama looks like and…I couldn't answer." Teagan's lower lip began to tremble, but she clenched her jaw and it instantly stopped. "I couldn't answer because I don't remember what mama looks like…so instead I told her that I looked like you, and that you are beautiful and that you are what I'm gonna look like when I'm older! But she didn't believe me and just said that _'your sister is probably a pyjak too; A big, ugly, smelly pyjak'."_The small brunette sighed, "that really made me mad but…it's okay…I know it's not true or nothin'. Plus, Jimmy is always telling her to shut up so it's not that bad when he's around."

London somehow managed to keep herself from accessing Miranda's files and looking up every Jaina in Teagan's class, and instead crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow, "Jimmy? Who is Jimmy?"

Teagan shrugged and fiddled with her small fingers, "He's in my class too. He's always super nice to me and even eats lunch with me sometimes in the cafeteria."

London inhaled sharply then exhaled, "So is this Jimmy a really close friend of yours then?"

The little biotic finally looked back into the monitor, "I guess so. We do sit next to each other in all our classes, and sometimes we walk together to class. It's not just us though. There's Megan, Za'ole, and Odie. We're all together when we can be…but they take certain classes at different times so mostly it's just Jimmy and I throughout the—MIRANDA!"

London jumped at the sudden burst once more then turned her head to look over her own shoulder momentarily. Miranda was freshly showered and dressed in her black work attire.

The Australian smiled then leaned over London to look into the monitor, "Hello Teagan–what's all this I hear about a boy named Jimmy?"

London could smell the delicate scent of the operative's shampoo and grinned in her direction, "Apparently he's been a good friend to Teagan."

Lawson squinted, "That counts for something I suppose, but…what did you say his last name was again?"

Teagan blinked blankly, "I-I don't think I said his last name…"

Both older women shrugged innocently and replied in unison, "Oh we're just curious about it."

"Oh…um…okay then, I think his last name is—" The sound of a little alarm ringing caught the little biotics attention, "—that's my alarm! I have to start getting ready for class!"

London cleared her throat to keep the disappointment of not hearing Jimmy's last name out of her own voice, "Oh, right. Okay then…have a good day at school, Tee, and don't you pay any attention to that Jaina brat. She doesn't know anything about us, okay?"

Teagan nodded quickly, "I promise. OH! I know this might be quick, but tomorrow class is only up until 1PM so I have the rest of the day off! Do…do you think you wanna come see me? Or maybe I could go spend time with you and Ms. Miranda!"

The sniper could feel her stomach knot up at her inability to promise the child anything given the Normandy's ongoing mission, "Of course I want to visit you, Tee…but—"

"Let's check the calendar shall we?" interrupted the operative as she smoothly worked a few keystrokes to bring up Teagan's syllabus, "…Hmm. Look at that, Teagan. You might have that afternoon off but, according to the calendar, you'll be getting all of next Monday off due to a teacher conference. What if instead of tomorrow, we make arrangements fooor…this coming Saturday? How does that sound? We could make it a three day event."

Teagan's eyes widened, "The whole weekend PLUS Monday? I get to spend the _whole_ weekend with you?"

Miranda shrugged casually, "Well that sounds mighty good to me. I don't know, what do you think, London?"

The sniper had been staring at the raven haired woman in admiration, silently thanking her for removing the brunette from that delicate situation. "…that sounds wonderful."

Teagan squealed as she practically jumped out of her chair to grab a bag to pack, "I'll start packing now!"

London turned back to the monitor, "Um…Tee? It's only Monday, you just said it yourself, silly! You still have a whole week to go and you kind of have class soon…"

The biotic froze, "Oh. Right! I'll wait till… _after_ classes today then! I'll see you soon!"

"You should…wai—Teagan? Hello? Teagan?" Before London could speak again the little brunette had already cut the link out of pure excitement, the last image of her being one of tossing clothes in every direction and leaving London quiet with a blank expression and with Miranda smiling.

London swiveled her chair around to face the operative, "…are you sure we'll be able to visit her? I don't want to get her hopes up—especially since we're in the middle of this whole mercenary business. What if we can't make it by Saturday? It would crush her, Miranda."

"Shepard is going to gather all the information from Shaw's omni-tool today. There was a constant link between both him and June. With the help of our engineering team we should be able to gather enough information to make our next move very, very soon. We already know his location, as of now we're just trying to figure out the means of execution."

"So there's a good chance we could be done with this whole ordeal by the end of the week?"

Miranda shook her head, "The whole ordeal no, most likely not. But more than likely we'll have already dealt with the mercenaries and _hopefully_ in the process find out who, as Shepard puts it, 'our big man playing is'."

"What makes you so sure?"

"I'm not saying its concrete, but I generally have a good feel about these sorts of things. I have come to learn that Shepard tends to get things done very quickly when all the necessary tools have been handed to him. This mission won't be any different. Like I said, we have June's location—we just need to figure out how to get close to him. I trust Shepard will do just that. Now come on, you need to get showered and dressed. The meeting starts soon."

London stood up from her chair and stretched quickly before giving Miranda a grin. The operative returned her look with a raised brow, "What? What is it?"

The brunette shrugged as she walked off towards the exit with a light snigger, "Oh nothing. You're just a little bit sexy when you bark out orders. It's the accent I think."

Miranda stood there quietly and thought, a small line forming between her eyes as she frowned. When the doors had shut behind the dancer Lawson folded her arms and leaned towards the door, "Only just a little bit? Hello? Hel—ugh," she puffed out in playful aggravation, "…little bit my arse."

**xxxxxx**

**[Communication's Room/ 6:30AM]**

Shepard withheld a chuckle as he observed the widely yawning Garrus slouch in his seat, the perfect example of a dark, gloomy, and grumpy individual who really hated waking up with little more than maybe one or two hours worth of rest.

"Not a morning person, Garrus?"

Two mandibles twitched in an irked response towards Commander Shepard, "What are you talking about? I'm radiating sunshine and rainbows out of my ass."

John put Cavan's omni-tool down onto the table as he sat down into a seat and grinned, "You're starting to sound like Jack when she doesn't want to wake up. Still tired?"

Garrus raised all three fingers from one hand plus one extra from the other. "Four."

Shepard raised his eyebrow, "I'm so happy you can count."

The Turian released a grumble, "I require a _minimum_ of _four_ hours sleep to be that nice guy you love so much. Anything below that and this is what you get stuck with for the day."

John leaned back into his seat smiling at the disgruntled Turian, "Pleasant or not, I really don't like you either way, Garrus."

"You're just pissed that I get all the ladies."

Shepard shook his head and replied as the soft hiss of the comms door announced a new arrival, "Take the ladies, I got all the woman I need."

Garrus stood upright in his seat, his eyes widening in feigned shock, "Wait. Jack is a _girl_?"

The harsh smack of a tattooed hand hit the Turian square on the back of his head, "I'm more woman that you'll ever get and more man than you'll ever be. So screw you, cricket."

Garrus winced, "Ouch."

John folded his arms behind his head and rested it contently, "Which stung more—the hit to the head or the words to the ears?"

The Turian nodded in defeat, "I'd say that they were about equal."

The ex-convict took a seat a few chairs away from both of the males and threw her legs up to rest on top of the table, her body slouching deeply and lazily into her seat, "So we gonna crack that omni-tool open or what? Where the hell is everyone else? Buckethead? Lamppost? Kraken? Cheerleader? Stripper? Crouching Raman hidden flash bang? You know…the gang?"

The commander looked at her in awe, "Crouching Ra… hidden…flash—what?"

Garrus yawned and shrugged as if Jack were speaking in perfect sense, "Kasumi."

Shepard blinked at the pair, confused by Jack's talent to create nicknames and Garrus' ability to understand who the hell she was talking about, "…everyone that is needed will be here soon. We got here earlier than usual."

Both Jack and Garrus mumbled at the exact same time, "In other words I coulda' slept more…"

"Good morning, everyone!" Came the sudden chipper voice of engineering's very own Scotsman. "Specific seating assignments? No? I'll just sit here then," he continued, taking a seat across the table from the Turian. "Christ, Garrus. Ye look like someone just peed in your breakfast paste." When there was no response, he suddenly took on a very serious look and eyeballed everyone around the table, "…no one peed in the nutrient paste right? I can't imagine what poor Tali would—"

Jack clenched her jaw in annoyance at the accented ramblings, "Oh for fuck's sake no one peed in the damn nutrient paste, Donnelly! What the fuck are you even talking about?"

Kenneth gave his best smile towards the short tempered, bald woman, "and good mornin' to ye too, Jack!"

He quieted, however, when Jack eerily smiled back. Something in that smile told him that the convict was imagining wrapping the Scotsman in a tight biotic bubble and slamming him headfirst into the very table he was leaning on.

The creepy staring contest continued until the soft hiss of an opening door was heard once more, "Oh _Keelah_! Am I late? I stayed up about two hours later than normal figuring out a decryption key that would match the algorithms used to encrypt the data on the omni-tool. It didn't help that I had a small headache and nasal congestion, but I won't get into that. I was rather surprised to find that cryptographic algorithms were used, I had to give credit to the mercenary whom it belonged to," she giggled, "I mean it wasn't so difficult to crack. Don't get me wrong, on the bit scale it was a decent encryption—not 4048 bit or more kind of scale, but more along the lines of about 1024…which is good for someone not as well educated in the field of omni-technology and encryption/decryption, coding/decoding."

The entire room except Kenneth was completely confused. Tali sighed, "512 bits being a poor encryption, 768 being moderately secured, and 1024 being—you know what nevermind. I gave him credit because he tried."

Shepard cleared his throat, "Right—great work Tali! So you figured it all out? We'll be able to crack the omni-tool open and see what Riley had in the works?"

The Quarian nodded as she took a seat beside Kenneth, "Yes, Shepard. Once we insert the key into the tool, complete access should be unlocked: Messages, events, holographs, music…whatever data he saved should be there when you access it."

"Great, once the last bit of us trickle through the door we'll begin the break down of the content within this thing and take our next step from there."

Garrus eyed the now closed door to the communication's room with a raised brow, "Anyone else think it's a little weird that Lawson wasn't the first one down here?"

"Oh she's probably busy up in her office," said the sudden, smug, disembodied voice.

Shepard grinned in the direction of the words, "I should have figured you were already here. Where's Jacob?"

Kasumi chuckled as she now visibly took her seat at the upper right corner of the rectangular table, "He should be here any second, Commander."

Garrus then turned his attention towards the thief, "Hey…what did you mean when you said Lawson was probably busy up in her office? It's early and she knows we have a meeting."

Kasumi grinned mysteriously but then decided to shrug the question off, "Who knows? She is second in command after all. There must be a lot of '_work'_ constantly _laid_ on top of her."

Kenneth blinked, "Laid on top of her?"

"Her desk," the thief gently corrected, "laid on top of her desk…spilling onto her bed and over her sheets…falling onto the floor. A ton of work. I'm sure it's something she's constantly working at, at this point."

Kenneth swallowed the lump in this throat as he pictured important, loose leafed papers flying all around Miranda's body in a somehow sexy manner, her hair blowing in the warm, gentle wind as she slowly began to unzip her—

"Engineer Donnelly, if you don't get that absolutely transparent and very disturbing look off your face this instant, I will be sure to take it off with my Locust." Miranda had stopped at the room's entrance, just being able to hear Kasumi's last statement and shoot her a piercing glance before addressing Kenneth's drooling face.

"Good morning, everyone." Jacob suddenly said, a lithe London soon following in behind him and offering the same salutation.

"London!" the Scotsman said excitedly, patting the seat cushion next to him. "I've saved your seat right here and right by me!"

The sniper sighed unenthusiastically as she took her 'saved' seat, "…thanks…I guess."

When the last of the crew had come in and taken their seats around the table Shepard began, "Alright everyone, I know it's early and we haven't had the chance at breakfast yet so we'll try to make this fast as possible. Tali was able to create a decryption key for Shaw C. Riley's omni-tool—go ahead and plug all that in, Tali. Now, while she works at this let's discuss some other facts. As you all know we already have the location of our second mark, June Sanders. He's older and more experienced in the field of killing, trading, stealing, hijacking, dealing—you get the point. What I'm trying to say is getting close to him won't be any walk in the planetarium. Our first concern is location. He's staying on Omega at a shady, very expensive place called the Velvet Vault—a kind of resort that houses those with little to no care for authority. It's recently been jam packed with the best of the worst kind of mercenaries…for what, we do not know. All we were able to gather is that it's a private party for a very select few. Let's get started."

"Okay," Garrus spoke up, "so let's try to rule out what that means in terms of execution. We can't exactly walk in with it being invitation only. I mean we _could_, but it'll get messy really, really quickly."

John nodded, "Exactly. So that threw out my initial idea. I was considering making yours and Grunt's ugly mug pose as paid mercenaries for hire. But without an invite that's a no go."

Jack shrugged, "So let's just rip it off someone who actually was invited."

"I had thought about that too," Shepard continued, "but the problem with that is we weren't able to gather the list of attendees. I don't know who or where an invitation might be."

Kasumi was next to speak, "I could be in and out of there in an hour or two depending on what it is exactly you're needing."

Shepard shook his head, "No, it's too dangerous to send you in alone. If anyone was going in by themselves it would be me. I need access to Sander's files and I need to get him to spit out everything we need to know."

Jacob nodded his head, "I agree. It wouldn't be very effective to send only one person in with so many other mercenaries slumming the place. Would there be any way we could get Sanders to leave the resort?"

Garrus shook his head, "Probably not. The place will be full of free booze, food, and a chance to work for a very high amount of credits. I don't think any one of those mercs will leave until the main guy hiring has chosen who he wants."

London looked over to Shepard, "You said you had a friend that recently made it big in the information business, right?"

John nodded, "Liara."

London thought quietly for a second, "So what if you have Liara find out June's OT address and have her send him a counter proposal via omni-tool? He might respond to an offer that's worth just as much but that deals with less hassle. Just have her send one asking to meet him outside of the resort in some other secluded location."

The commander scratched his chin, "that's not a bad idea…"

Garrus rubbed the back of his neck, "I agree, it's not a bad idea but there is a certain risk factor involved with going along with that."

John eyed the Turian, "Explain."

Garrus leaned in, "Judging from this guys profile he seems to be pretty smart. What are the odds that some other high roller would be willing to pay that much—if not _more_ for something that takes half the sweat to do? It doesn't add up. And I'm pretty sure _he'll_ figure that it won't add up. Now top that off with wanting to meet in private away from where all the current big business is being handled and his paranoia will go crazy just like Jack would being stuck in a room with Lawson and Kenneth all day.

"So in other words…batshit crazy," Jack corrected harshly, causing Miranda to roll her eyes.

London shook her head, "So the fact that it won't be conducted in the resort will alarm him?"

Garrus nodded, "Probably, yeah. Think about it: this is a big week for high paid mercenaries. All the business opportunities will be taking place at that specific resort. It won't just be this 'Buyer' sending his seconds to do the hiring; it'll be many other high bidding bosses. I mean why wouldn't they, right? The area will already be highly secured for the event, everyone and their mother knows what the hell is going down there but no cop will get anywhere near it. It's the perfect place to do business. So why would some rinky-dink high bidding guy suddenly want to meet _outside_ of this resort to make a contract? It's simple. They wouldn't."

Shepard nodded his head as he thought quietly, "Valid point. I can't have him running off and going into hiding. We need to get this guy and we need to get him now. Failure is not an option."

Jack rolled her eyes, "At this point it seems like it's the only option. We've been here for half an hour and haven't come up with a damn thing, Shepard. I say we just make Judo Chop over there sneak into the building and have her throw him out a window or somethin' so we can collect his ass, fly the hell away, and question him."

Miranda groaned, "That's your bloody brilliant plan? Send in—"

Garrus stretched, "—Kasumi."

"—Right," Miranda continued, confused as to how Garrus knew who Jack was referring to. "Your plan is to send in Kasumi _alone_ and _somehow_ have her manage to throw him out of an _extremely _tall building?"

Jack shrugged, "Why the hell not? When he's alone in his room, she can knock his ass out, Shepard can pull up outside his room's window, toss him into the shuttle, tie him up and bam—we got our guy. Then it'll be time to beat and question him."

Miranda eyeballed the Commander as he silently thought, "Shepard you're not seriously considering this _ridiculous_ plan are you?"

Jack scowled, "Well let's see what the hell _you_ can come up with then, Cheerleader! It's not like you're being any kind of useful at the moment anyways. I would honestly like to know how you're even second in command. You never say nothin' worth a damn!"

Miranda waved the convict off in an indifferent manner, "Some of us like to think intelligently before we open our mouths to talk, Jack. Something you seem incapable of doing."

The ex-convict stood up quickly from her seat and leaned over the table, "You got somethin' you're tryin' to tell me, Ice Queen?"

Shepard raised his voice, "Enough you two. Take it easy. Tali, have you got anything yet?"

The Quarian nodded, her eyes bouncing back and forth between Jack and Miranda, "I-I do. He was very good about cleaning out recent received addresses, so the only message left on his omni-tool was from Sanders. Riley was in constant contact with one Mr. June Sanders, and it seems that these last few days were no exception. Even though there's been no reply recently from Riley, Sanders has continued to message his partner."

Shepard moved over towards Tali in interest, "Riley must have made a habit of delayed responses…lucky for us. Bring up the latest message."

Tali nodded and did as instructed, bringing up a holo image and recording. "This was recorded and sent yesterday morning."

_[5:43AM]: 001: "The boss is expecting the PT with chip in hand and… the target… done and dealt with. Respond."_

Shepard observed the holo carefully, "… and there's been no response to this message?"

Garrus chuckled, "The owner of this omni-tool is a little bit on the dead side, Shepard. I don't think he's answered just yet."

John grinned, "So then let's have Mr. Sanders know that everything has been taken care of. Send a reply message."

Tali brought up the message window, "What should it say?"

London brought her eyes down onto her clasped fingers. She had opened her mouth to speak but the words were unable to come out, her eyebrows undulating as she tried to gather her thoughts. She wanted to swallow the fear and be brave, but reliving her terrible ordeal was the last thing the brunette wanted to remember. Miranda noticed the dancer's change, how her eyes looked pained and saddened. The operative longed to help, to tell London that it was alright and that her time of blindness had passed and would not come back. Instinctively Miranda reached under the table and offered the sniper a quick squeeze of the hand, allowing the brunette to hold onto her firmly in support.

London swallowed the dryness of her throat, nodding softly and squeezing Lawson's hand a little tighter as she finally spoke aloud, "Try something along the lines of '_you know I like to play with my food before I eat it. It's done._' "

John nodded at London, trusting that out of everyone here she would know how Cavan would respond. "…well you heard the woman. Let's try that out and see what we get. He's been consistent in his checking up on Riley. I'm sure today will be just like all the others. He'll most likely reply within the next hour so everyone take an hour for breakfast while me and Tali continue to look around and inside this omni-tool. I'll have EDI call you all back once we've gotten a response."

**xxxxxxx**

**[Breakfast]**

The thief was quiet in entering the sniper's old quarters, "I see you're not eating with the others?"

London was curled up and sitting next to a window, her legs bent at the knee and resting up against her chest as her arms lay folded on top. She chewed the bit of apple she had rolling around her mouth then swallowed, a small smile soon coming forth afterwards, "How very perceptive of you, Ms. Goto."

"I know," Kasumi confessed with a good humored shrug, "it's a talent I pride myself in. So what _are_ you doing down here all by your lonesome? Miranda didn't give you the boot already did she?"

The dancer took another bite of her apple and laughed lightly while chewing, "No, nothing like that. I'm giving her a little space. She has a lot of work that needs to get done and I think she works faster when I'm not around."

The grin Kasumi had on her face peeked out from underneath her hood, "I'll bet…"

London pointed and waggled her index finger from left to right as she laughed, "Once again—it's nothing like that. We just talk a lot when we're around each other. I don't want to distract her or make her feel obligated to me in any way while she clearly has other pressing matters to attend to."

"I don't think she feels that way at all. Obligation is such a harsh term. I think she's better when you're around."

"Better?" London questioned, her eyebrow only slightly rising up as she looked onto the thief, "What do you mean?"

Kasumi nodded, "You know! Better! She's always so stressed and on edge. I mean—she's very professional all the time, don't get me wrong about that, she's absolutely amazing at what she does…but the girl needs to learn to breathe! All work and no play is _not_ good for a person. I think she needs someone like you."

London grinned as she changed her gaze to observe the stars beyond the small window, "To be focused and dedicated to your career isn't bad either, Kasumi. I'm sure she would have been fine without me."

The thief placed her feet together and leaned back against a close wall, her hands clasped and behind her own back, "Fine maybe _just_ barely…but happy? Most definitely not."

There was silence for a moment before London turned to look back at her, "So I gather from the crew's complete clueless-ness that you haven't told anyone about Miranda and me?"

Kasumi chuckled, "I figured that our second in command has enough to deal with at the moment."

London eyed the smaller woman curiously before nodding her head in thanks, "…thank you, Kasumi. She's a private woman. I could care less who knew, but for now I think it's be best to work at her pace and comfort level."

Kasumi nodded in agreement, "Right."

"Right."

"Right!" Kasumi responded again, a little more enthusiastically than last time.

London eyed the smaller woman, "…um…right."

"Soooo…"

London eyes traced up to find Kasumi's grin had grown into a mischievous one. She was pretty sure that if she were to find a dictionary and look up the word 'mischief', that Kasumi with that grin would be a picture of what she saw. "…so?"

The thief pushed herself off the wall and hurriedly took her place beside London, soon taking her own seat and mimicking the sniper's position. "Sooooooooooo…"

London dropped her face into her folded arms and sighed, "Spit it out. What is it?"

Kasumi leaned forward, "So what's the sex like!"

"Kasumi!"

"What? It's an _honest_ question! I'm curious! I mean with the way you two were starting it up…with the kissing and the hands and the groans…it has to be—"

London waved her hands frantically, refusing to answer the question that had caught her so off guard, "Ah-hahaanooo! We are _not_ going into that. It's private! But, out of respect for Miranda I will have you know that she is _not_ that kind of woman! It's…what we have came unexpectedly to both of us… so we're working on all of this slowly. This kind of relationship is new to her and… and to me, so there's no use in rushing into anything. Okay?"

Kasumi was tapping her fingers on her lap in boredom, "I expected more from you two; How positively blasé! And what do you mean new to you? I would have imagined that you've had all kind of experiences while you were a…I mean…not saying that you—in your professi…"

London smiled gently, "It's alright you can say it. I take no offense. I was an exotic escort and dancer. And yes I did have all kinds of experiences when I worked. I've had male clients, female clients, and even one Hanar client." When Kasumi's eyebrows lifted in surprise London couldn't help but laugh, "You can imagine how difficult that one must have been. He wasn't exactly easy to understand and on top of that he wanted me to dance for him in a specific style completely foreign to me. But that's not the point—I meant to say that while I have had experience…this…this_relationship_ that I've formed with Miranda is something meaningful. I've never had anything remotely close to this before."

"No other past lovers? Boyfriends? Girlfriends?"

The sniper relaxed back into the wall, "I've never thought about other women before. Miranda has been the first I've ever been remotely attracted to. I did have one boyfriend when I was younger though. His name was Taylor Owens. He was a sweet boy; athletic, gorgeous, had a wealthy, lovely family, and a kind heart…the type of person you wanted to bring home to meet your parents. He did actually—meet my parents that is. They loved him, much to my relief and satisfaction."

Kasumi tilted her head, "What happened if he was so wonderful?"

London shrugged at the question, her tone matter of fact. "Life happened. I guess this is just how things go sometimes. Father brought home Teagan and… everything changed. I'd probably be married to Taylor right about now and be expecting our first child."

"Can you really imagine all that? With _him_?"

"Being married and having a family of my own? Of course I could…once upon a time—just not now. Times have changed and circumstances have changed. There's just no time to have thoughts like that. The universe is violent and I can barely keep one child safe and happy as it is. I couldn't even imagine being a mother to a newborn and a happy-go-lucky wife to someone right now."

"Where is this Taylor Owens now?"

London looked out the window, the core of her apple lying idly by her feet, "Out _there_ somewhere, living a happy, adventurous life with someone he deserves. I loved him dearly, but I wasn't that person for him. I don't think I ever was. I actually just left without saying goodbye to anyone. For all he knows one day I just decided to call it quits and leave with my family."

Kasumi nodded, "You did what you had to do…there's nothing wrong with that."

"Oh I know," the sniper agreed, "and I don't regret anything. That road led me here and I couldn't be happier. He was a decent guy though…he at least deserved that final goodbye."

The pair remained silent for a few moments.

"Kasumi?"

"Yes?"

"…I just wanted to say that it's not often I get to speak with other women under such a relaxed state. Good company is hard to come by and you've been really decent to me while I've been aboard this ship—not to mention my little sister seems to love you. So I guess what I'm wanting to say is…thank you."

The thief lifted her face so that it could be completely seen from under her hood, "There's no need. I've profiled a lot of people and know a good person when I see one. I'm glad to have you onboard with us."

"Anyways," London said softly, trying to keep the moment from getting to mushy, "…how are you and Jacob?"

Kasumi's eyes suddenly lit up with joy, "Oh let me tell you! He does this thing where he puts me…"

London's eyes glazed over as she realized that just maybe she shouldn't have asked that question. The thief's voice chimed on for several more minutes before London got into the habit of just nodding and pretending to listen while she tried her hardest to tune out the finer details of Kasumi's overly detailed love life.

**xxxxxxx**

**[Miranda's Office]**

The lightly beeping sound of Miranda's office door signaled that someone was outside and waiting to come in. Lawson put her small cereal bowl down, pushed the tiny, black button on her desk, and opened her mouth to speak. "Come in" she said, fully expecting either Commander Shepard or London to stroll through the door.

"Operative Lawson, my favorite Executive Commander!"

Miranda swiveled her chair towards the voice, her brow raised and tone hardening into a more professional one. "What an unexpected visit, Engineer Donnelly. Is something wrong down on deck four or has Commander Shepard already called us back? "

The handsome, well toned Scotsman waved off the question, "Nah, nothing of the sort about either of those things! I'm not here about business ye see…"

A strand of raven hair was tucked neatly behind her ear as Miranda leaned back into her seat and crossed her legs tightly, "Then why, pray tell, are you here in my office? What can I do for you?"

Kenneth sat down in the seat in front of Miranda's desk as if they had always been childhood friends, "Okay here's the thing—you're a woman, right?"

Miranda blinked blankly, "…Engineer Donnelly is there—"

"—just hear me out here! I can't talk about these things with anyone else! Not even Gabby because no one seems to know her the way you do."

"Her?" Miranda questioned, "to whom are you referring to, Engineer Donnelly?"

Kenneth held his arms out with a shocked expression, "London of bloody course! I'm wondering how I should go about pleasuring her. What does she like?"

Miranda's eyes widened and her mouth turned down in disgust, "Pleasuring her—Engineer Donnelly you will leave my office immediately or I will—"

The engineer waved his hands so quickly it was almost as if he flailed. "No! Wait!" he begged, his face beet red, "That came out absolutely terrible! I didn't mean…pleasure her in _that_ context. Rather, I should ask what _pleases_ her. Does…she like anything in specific? I feel a vibe between us ye see. Grunt said he can see it too and that I should take action."

Miranda brought her elbows down onto her desk and sighed tiredly, "Grunt's views on 'vibes and taking action' are strictly related to mating in order to preserve the species. He's not exactly someone to go to for love advice, Mr. Donnelly. Now—"

He was quiet for a moment as Miranda spoke, but Kenneth soon weighed out the options then nodded his head, "—ye know, with Harbinger getting ready to strike at humanity again, I should take that responsibly upon myself and preserve all that we are as quickly as possible."

Lawson soon took up rubbing her temple in slow circles in annoyance at the perverted engineer, "Mr. Donnelly…if you try to 'preserve humanity' with any kind of woman aboard this vessel, in any kind of way, I will take action instantaneously. You may take this as your first and only warning."

Kenneth leaned back into his seat, a pout forming on his lips, "So ye won't help me out with London? I just want to know what sorts of things she likes. Flowers? Asari chocolates? A cleaning set for her sniper rifle? Ye have to give me something ta' work with. Please?"

Miranda eyed the man sternly, her accent seemingly coming out thicker than normal, "I will not. I will, however, state that this topic brought to me was extremely unprofessional of you. Matters of this sort should be kept to yourself. If you feel that the task is impossible and that you absolutely need to speak of the matter, I advise you to visit Chambers in _her_ office next time. I am not a dating service, Engineer Donnelly. I am your second in command, and I am very busy at the moment. Now is there anything else of merit that I should be aware of?"

Donnelly slumped over then stood up on his feet, "I apologize, ma'am. I just thought—" He quieted suddenly, a new expression etched across his face. It was almost as if he had just experienced the most brilliant idea of his given life-time, "…ye know what! That's it! I'll get her all three! Thanks for at least hearing me out, but I think I got it. I'll report back to station now!"

Miranda watched as the engineer eagerly left her room. When the ghost was clear she exhaled deeply and flopped back into her chair, her hands making a ridged motion towards the door. "What the bloody hell was that!"

**xxxxxxx**

**[ Communication's Room]**

"You gunna' eat that?" Jack asked, her finger already inching towards Shepard's still full plate.

John shook his head as he looked over Tali's shoulder and onto the omni-tool's files, "Not right now, you go ahead and have it. How are things looking, Tali?"

The Quarian fiddled away at the omni-tool's tiny keyboard, "He was very thorough in the cleaning of his files, Shepard. I've only been able to recover that single message from it. Besides his music and a few movies, everything else pertaining to his line of business was deleted and their links and paths erased."

"Bring up the last message."

"Aye, aye, Commander." Tali did as instructed, retrieving the one, current message from June and placing it up on the holograph display so that Shepard may observe it. It was a simple message, a recording that June took of himself from the shoulders up and speaking into his omni-tool. "Would you like me to play it?"

Shepard nodded, "Yeah, go ahead."

_[5:43AM]: 001: "The boss is expecting the PT with chip in hand and… the target… done and dealt with. Respond."_

"Pause it," John said quickly before the image could go black. "…what do you guys think about the way he talks about the mark? Something's off."

Jack shrugged as she practically swallowed half a biscuit, "Who cares. We know what the guy looks like now. So let's just pack it up and go get him guns blazing, eh?"

Shepard shook his head, "Not happening, Jack. Tali?"

Tali tiled her as she played the message again, "Hesitant. He seems hesitant about speaking of the subject."

John nodded, "But why?"

"I don't know why, Shepard. Perhaps he didn't like speaking of business over omni-tool? What are _you_ thinking?"

The commander eyed the still holo of June's face, "I don't know just yet. He doesn't hesitate with his words until he mentions the 'target'. I'm just wondering why."

Tali shook her head, "I wouldn't know what to tell you—wait…wait a minute."

John eyed her curiously, "What is it?"

"Shepard, we got a new message from June!"

John took a seat near Tali and leaned into the desk to view the holograph message, "Play it."

The message was brought up, an image of June filling the empty air and molding into a three dimensional holo:

_[7:33AM]: 002: "It's about damn time you replied. You better be on your way back, kid. We got work to do. The boss is expecting the PT and chip by Thursday. There's no exception with the time frame this time. We either turn it in and get paid, or don't turn it in and get trouble. Some other small jobs are being offered around in the mean time. We'll take off late Wednesday morning, so that gives us all of tomorrow to get some extra creds in before we turn the stuff in and I retire for good._

_And before you start crying that 'you haven't been able to have any real fun', I'd like to let you know that tomorrow night will be a damn good one at the Velvet Vault. Music, booze, food, and girls. Flex from Afterlife is bringing a ton of his ladies to the party, a few of which I've reserved for us. Should be a good ending to a long career—well for me anyways. It's just another typical night for you I'd assume._

_Anyways, like I said, get here soon. I'm getting tired of waiting and just want to get this finished with. Over and Out._

Tali and Jack looked up at their commander when John suddenly snapped his fingers loudly and hit the table harshly, "That's it! EDI, get everyone in here now."

The ships AI replied hastily, "Right away, Commander Shepard."

The pair of women blinked in confusion as John continued to speak, "Tali, send a reply message saying that he'll have to wait a little longer and that our Mr. Riley won't be able to make it back till Wednesday due to his far off location."

Jack raised a brow, "How the hell is he going to be there by Wednesday? He's dead!"

John grinned at the ex-convict, "Don't worry about that. Sanders won't be seeing Riley on Wednesday because we're going to grab him tomorrow at this private party of his."

Jack slapped the table's top with a wicked smile, "Now we're talkin'! I'm in and let's do this!"

Tali's glowing eyes observed her commander's face, "How are we going to manage that, Shepard?"

**xxxxxx**

**[5 minutes later]**

"Fuck you, Shepard! No way I'm doin' it! No fuckin' way! _Especially_ not with _her_!" Jack was outraged as she paced back and forth alongside the length of the long, rectangular table. "You gotta' be crazier than I am to think this shit will actually be pulled off."

Shepard shook his head, "Why not? It's the perfect plan. No one will expect it, and none of you have to go in alone. It _has_ to work. We even got a person to help you all be a little more believable in your roll."

Garrus was grinning from ear to ear as he looked at all the women's faces, "I think it's a brilliant idea."

Kenneth nodded his head quickly, "I concur."

Jack pointed her finger accusingly, "You shut you face! You're not the one that will have to do this shit." The convict turned her eyes to look at London, "Back me up here!"

London could only shake her head gently from side to side as she thought, "Jack…I would but…it's really not a bad idea. We don't have many options."

The biotic groaned as she sank into a seat, "Oh for fuck's sake…"

John looked at the sniper, "So you don't mind then?"

London shook her head once more, "I don't see any other choice, Commander. It's a solid plan…well…mostly solid. The ending concerns me, but I trust in your judgment. June wouldn't expect it, we'd be able to get in close and get all that's needed from him."

All the while Miranda was huddled into her chair, shaking her head in complete disapproval, "Don't _I_ get a say in this?"

John crossed his arms, "You get all the say in the world, Lawson. If you can come up with something just as solid that can be done just as easily then be my guest. But do it fast because we're running out of time."

There was silence in the room as everyone's eyes seemed to be locked onto the XO. After a minute Miranda could only sigh deeply and place her forehead against the cool surface of the table. "Miranda," London said softly, "it's a solid plan. I know you're uncomfortable with it—I don't blame you. But it'll work. We can do it."

The operative was quiet, listening to the dancer's gentle words of encouragement. Shepard was asking London to return to a life she had long since left behind. If London was willing to do it—she should be willing to do it too. "Oh bloody hell. Alright, alright. Fine! I'll do it. But this better work, Shepard."

Jack flung her arms up, "We're fuckin' doomed, Shepard. The Cheerleader won't be able to pull it off!"

Miranda scowled, "Well excuse me if in my two hundred thousand credit education I somewhere along the lines forgot to take classes on exotic dancing for wanted mercenaries, Jack!"

"See!" Jack exclaimed with a sternly pointed finger, "She's already bitching about it and we haven't even started yet! Why can't Judo Chop do it instead? You _know_ that me and Cheerleader don't play nice," she said with gusto, emphasizing her words by waggling her finger back and forth between her own body and Miranda's. "We'll kill each other, Shepard—especially since you won't be there to stop us."

"Jack," Shepard said, sighing heavily as he repeated his plan, "you know we can't afford to have you two kill each other. Kasumi is our eyes and will be going in silent. She'll be plugging in her omni-tool and grabbing every bit of information she can from his bedroom while you guys are entertaining and finding out everything you can about his boss and him from other peers."

"Fine! What about buckethead?"

Tali shook her head quickly, "Oh no. If I had a credit for every Quarian who became exotic dancers and took off their suits to please strange men, I would have exactly…zero credits."

John stared at Jack in disbelief, "You know I can't ask Tali to do this job, Jack. She can't take off her suit in a place like that. It'd kill her."

Jake growled under her breathe, "This is a stupid fuckin' plan. I say we just knock him out and throw him out the window! Done!"

John grinned, "That's the not till the end."

Miranda grew wide eyed, "You can't be serious. We're _actually_ doing that?"

Shepard nodded his head, "I don't see any other way to get him out of the building without alerting every merc in the joint. When you guys get him alone in his bedroom I'll have Kasumi stick him with a specially prepared syringe shot and he'll be out like a light in no time. Garrus and I will pull up in the shuttle near the room's balcony, you girls toss both him and yourselves in, and we're out of there in record time. Everyone will be so damn drunk they won't notice our little escape route and the package we're carrying."

Though completely against the idea but unable to come up with a counter plan, the operative took a moment to gather her wits before speaking, "Not the most… _delicate_ thing you've ever come up with but… I'll do as you say, Commander. Now, I assume you've spoken to the manager of Afterlife and have told him that we'll be tagging along under his name?"

John shook his head, "Flex? All we gotta' do is pay him a little visit. I don't think he'll be in the position to say no."

London nodded, "Not after our last meeting. He won't have the guts to say no."

Shepard then looked over his crew and folded his arms, "So we're all in agreement and in understanding of what's going to happen?"

"Yeah," Jack said in monotone, "We're all gonna die."

Ignoring Jack's statement, the commander turned his attentions towards the dancer, "London, we're heading towards the Citadel now and should be there by noon. I need you to take these ladies and head to the shopping wards near the top. There's an 'After Dark Fashions' outlet there that I think you all might find useful for this… _particular_ job."

Jack stared daggers into her commander, "You're going to make me go shopping now too?"

John grinned, "Gotta look the part, Jack. And who knows…you might actually like the store. Now everyone get your game faces on and let's make this happen!"

Miranda squeezed her eyes shut and leaned back into her chair, her forehead resting on the warm palm of her hand. All the higher education in the world couldn't have prepared her for this mission. In hours she would take on a task that pushed her boundaries in a whole different way and in a whole new direction:

She would infiltrate the Velvet Vault alongside London and Jack…as an undercover stripper.

[End 25: The Game Plan]

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**A/N: Still have to rewrite the next chapter since it got swallowed by my laptop, but Imma' workin' on it. In the meantime let's hear what you have to say about the story so far, your comments and reviews are loved and always considered. I strive to improve my story! =)**

**A quick thanks to zebrahater for all his wonderful suggestions and corrections! I'd be so much worse off without your help! **

**Finally I'd also like to thank everyone who reads and sticks with this silly little story of mine. If it weren't for you guys I would have probably stopped after chapter one!**

**I'll see ya next time!  
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	26. Tricks and Tools of the Trade

_A/N: Sorry for the long wait, everyone! _

_I was eager to post so if I missed anything grammatically it's my fault and not my poor beta's.  
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[Chapter Twenty-Six: Tricks and Tools of the Trade]

**[5:50AM/ 14 hours until infiltration/ Miranda's Office]**

"_Requesting permission for video transmission from user OrianaL." _

Red rimmed eyes poked themselves out from underneath plush sheets as Miranda peered out into the cold darkness of her quarters, the faint illumination of her terminal's monitor offering the only source of light. Activating her cabin's white lights, Miranda winced as the sudden illumination flared in her eyes. Guided by the bleariness, the operative made her way towards the desk.

"_Requesting permission for video transmission from user—"_

"Accept."

Her screen coming to life Miranda's squinted eyes widened in alarm. "Oriana? What is it? Are you alright?"

The younger sibling had an air of relief wash over her and became all smiles and teeth as she noticed her big sister, her guardian angel. "Randa, oh thank goodness! And before you ask, _yes_ I've used the secure line. Were you still asleep? I hope I didn't wake you?"

"I had just woken up. Is everything fine?"

"Everything is fine," came the simple response, much to the XO's relief, "I just needed to speak with you and make sure that _you_ were alright. I haven't heard from you in a while and I was beginning to worry. You're on another mission I suppose?"

Miranda nodded her head, a twinge of sadness entering her tone. "I'm sorry about that. There's rarely a moments rest aboard this ship… you know how it is."

"Top secret?"

"As usual."

"…I…I really hate that I'm here and that you're off saving the world and making lives better… I could help you know! I've become quite tech savvy if I do say so myself. And _yes_" the younger sibling grumbled, "I _understand_ that I'll be attending E.U. in a few months but—"

"Oriana," Miranda said in soft warning, "Education is—"

"I know," Oriana sighed, raising her hands in surrender. "I know. I just hate worrying. But I'm glad to see you're alright. I've been having the most _awful_ feelings as of late and its only getting worse."

"Feelings about what?"

Oriana shrugged as her brows furrowed in frustration, "I don't even know. It could be the stress of my final examinations but…I just get this feeling like something big is going to happen."

"Are you eating before you sleep?"

"No it's nothing like that. I guess I just needed to call you. I guess that's _why_ I needed to call you… to be sure nothing _had_ happened and I just didn't know about it."

The operative nodded, leaving herself a quick note about upping the security she had set for her sister (just for extra measure, of course). "I'm quite alright. But…thank you for the concern."

"Don't thank me, I'm your sister! Younger or not its part of the job, right?"

Miranda managed to produce a small smile, "Right. So is anything new? Your marking in Late 20th Century Earth History has gone up. I suppose that the Gossimah boy has taken notice, yes?"

Oriana blushed deeply, "Maybe…"

"I assume he is treating you correctly lest I have to go down there and straighten the boy out?" she teased.

"Randa, you wouldn't!"

The operative chuckled, "As your older sister I reserve my right to distrust each and every person you date. However," she continued, tone lightening, "his academic records are still above average. I see that he's ranked second in his class. At least I know he's not a daft boy. Have you been to any of his athletic events?"

Oriana grumbled, "…I have. Why?"

"Does he show competence and expertise? Or is his ability sub-par?"

The young woman grinned sheepishly, "He's pretty much great at whatever he does…"

"I hate him."

"Randa!"

"It'd be easier on you if you just begun to accept the fact now," she replied playfully.

"Hey!" the young woman practically squealed, "Since we're on the subject how about we take the heat off me and talk about you for a while! Have _you_ come across a Mr. Dashing on your travels too and fro?"

"I…haven't come across a _Mr_. Dashing, no." Miranda bit her lip and looked away from the screen, soon damning herself for her the gesture slip.

"Oh. Em. Gee. You have, haven't you! Who is he? What's his name?"

"Classified."

"RANDA!" she screamed loudly, causing Miranda's terminal speakers to shake. "There are no secrets between sisters! Don't make me pout."

"Look," Miranda groaned, "it's currently a delicate situation and when the time presents itself I'll be sure to arrange a meeting between you two but for now can we just leave it be?"

Oriana grinned devilishly, "Don't want to jinx it, hmm?"

Deciding to just agree and be done with it Miranda nodded. "Yes."

"Fine, I'll discontinue my questions then—but _only_ for now! We better speak of this again in the near future! Promise?"

"…I'll keep my word."

"That'll do for the time being then. I guess this is my queue to go get ready for class now?"

"Don't be late. I need to bathe and dress for work anyhow. Have a good day today, alright?"

"I will and…Randa?"

"Yes, Oriana?"

The young woman's tone lowered into seriousness as she stared into the holograph. "…be safe out there, okay? I…I love you, big sister."

Miranda smiled, her features falling into an uncharacteristic softness as she shifted awkwardly in her seat. "…I love you too."

**xxxxxxx**

**[Cargo Deck]**

Gray eyes were narrowed with intensity at their target, chest heaving and ribs expanding as she controlled her breathing and heart rate. A light sheen of sweat covered her skin. Strands of loose, chestnut brown hair had fallen from London's pony tail and stuck to her face. She inhaled deeply then exhaled quickly, a long, well toned arm reaching out in an extension as her closed fist came into contact with the punching bag, grunting lightly as she repeated the process several times over, each strike increasing in power and rapidity.

A voice from the stairwell ventured over the increasingly fast paced and loud noises London's fists were making against the punching bag. "Hello? Anyone down here?"

"Yeah," the sniper responded quickly, taking a step back to spin around, keeping perfect balance with her right foot as she brought up her left leg only to bring the boot crashing down onto the bag with a powerful force and loud thud. She huffed, hopping in place and doing ballistic stretches to keep her limbs loose as she looked over towards the voice "Good morning, Jacob. Here for a work out?"

Jacob nodded and began to stretch. "Oh it's you O'Conner. Yeah, I am. Actually…I'm glad I ran into you again down here. When I finish this are you up for some sparring?"

London popped up off the ground in excitement, "You're on."

The officer smiled a little too eagerly, pointing his finger. "Great—the gear is over there in that locker."

London nodded, grabbing and tossing the cushioned guard gear over towards Jacob. She quickly applied her own gear, making sure the buckles on her shin, forearm, and breast guards were extra secure.

"Just letting you know that I won't take it easy on you," Jacob said sternly, something in his voice making it sound a little personal.

"Funny," London quipped with a risen brow while putting on her head gear. "I was just about to say the same thing."

"Ready?"

There was no vocal reply but the response was instant, the sniper lunging forward with a strong left jab only to be blocked and pushed away. She grinned, bouncing on the tips of her toes as she and Jacob began circling around the fighting mat. Jacob released a fierce cry as he stepped forward and swung, a foreseen attack but one he still expected to knock the slender woman back solely from the sheer force behind it. The dancer side stepped rather than attempting to block, quickly executing a spinning, backhanded fist that caught the officer by surprise.

Jacob stumbled forward, swinging his right leg around in attempt to make contact with London's ribcage. The sniper was a step ahead, already having moved away to avoid the defensive maneuver. Her eyebrows knitted as she observed the way he moved, the sound of his screams when he attacked. _This is just a spar…right?_

While Jacob steadied himself she sprinted forward and leapt in a flying kick aimed at his stomach, one leg bending while the other became practically horizontal to the ground below. The officer had only just managed escaping impact, quickly taking one hand and grabbing the sniper's outstretched leg behind the knee, while the other hand swung around to take the woman by the throat, instantly slamming her down onto the mat.

"What the hell," London gasped as her back hit the ground in full force, eyes widening as she felt all the air rush from her lungs.

"I said I wasn't going to take it easy on you." Jacob did not hesitate as he brought a tightly closed fist down upon her, missing the woman but hitting the mat as the dancer narrowly rolled away, coughing and breathing deeply. The ex-Cerberus officer could already feel victory close at hand as he continued the pressure, never relenting and letting the woman catch her breath. He pumped his arms quickly firing off a barrage of jabs and uppercuts, narrowly missing each and every time as the brunette weaved and dodged.

The officer had a scowl, his eyes never leaving his opponent.

Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, eyebrows furrowed as she thought of a way to gain the offensive position. Jacob swung again, putting the full force of his weight behind the jab as London swayed and ducked, lowering herself to a crouch and swinging her outstretched leg clockwise. The officer was late to jump and his sure footing was taken from him, a loud thud echoing throughout the cargo deck as he slammed into the floor. London pressed forward, lifting her leg straight up towards the ceiling before slamming it down towards Jacob's chest.

He rolled away from the lethal chop, quickly getting to his feet only to sprint and shove his right shoulder into the dancer, his strong arms wrapping around the woman and bringing her down. London cried out at the contact as they rolled together, the officer having the fortune to land on top. The sniper released a hard right hook that directly hit Jacob's padded jaw, the force making his vision go blurry for the slightest of moments. He responded by bringing his knee to greet her protected rib cage, the strength of it making the woman grit her teeth and lower her arms to protect her sides which in turn gave Jacob the opportunity to place a quick jab to her face, causing the woman to growl and writhe beneath his hold. She rocked her body and slithered beneath his weight until she could twist and lift her hips up to wrap her legs around the officer's neck.

Jacob flailed and grunted, lifting his hands to her knees in vain attempt to loosen the woman's clench. But her thighs held tight and she inhaled sharply as she added more pressure. The officer squirmed, hard fists coming down onto her covered shins, thighs, and lower abdomen. London hissed at the pain, feeling her legs began to quake.

It lasted that way for only moments more before Jacob hit the mat three times, his voice hoarse as he called the match in submission. London instantly released him and rolled away onto her back. Her head was spinning as she inhaled deeply. "I...win…"

Jacob nodded, the anger inside of him seeming to burn down to a simmer as a hand massaged his throat.

The sniper slowly sat up, hissing as she held her sore side. "So..that throat thing? Yeah, that was a little bit uncalled for don't you think? What was that about?"

Jacob decided to sit up as well. It was easier to observe London this way, the look in his dark colored eyes almost judgmental. "Tell me something…"

"I don't think I'm required to tell you anything," she answered in defense, noticing the cold look she was being given. "But I'll listen to your question."

"Is it true?" he asked persistently, not caring about her retort. "Just tell me that much."

Quietly she got to her feet and gathered her belongings, never bothering to look back as she went up the staircase. "I have to shower."

**xxxxxxx**

**[8:25AM/ 11.5 hours till infiltration/ Miranda's Office]**

"Hold still or you're going to make me paint the whole toe," London said in amusement, eyebrows soon knitting in concentration as she dipped the small brush back into the nail-polish container. "You alright up there? You look like you're about to pass out."

Miranda looked down at her toes and exhaled in response, her eyes warily looking over London.

London smiled gently as she delicately applied the elegant red color onto the perfectly shaped toe nails, "I know leading a mission like this might be nerve—"

"Oh it's not that, believe me. I've executed extraction missions several times and I'm perfectly comfortable with leading you all in the infiltration of the Velvet Vault."

"So you're not nervous about the mission itself, rather you're nervous about our role?"

"London, it is very rare when I myself am uncomfortable with any aspect of a mission. You can't imagine the things I've had to do as a Cerberus operative. I nodded my head, got the job done, and called it a day without so much as thinking twice." Pausing, Miranda shook her head slowly. "But this? This, I must admit, is a new one. I've never had to do anything like this, I _avoided_ missions like this for Cerberus—ones that called for the use of feminine charms. The Illusive Man put me to work with the best and brightest because _that_ is where I am most useful, _not_ shaking my arse for—"

"Miranda, it's really not a—"

"— I don't like being touched." Lawson blurted out with a stiff gesture, her toes wiggling and causing London to groan unhappily, "Especially not by drunk, filthy, drooling animals. You know—"

"Sweetie?" the sniper tried again, her gray eyes trailing up the operative's body. London couldn't help but smile, entertained by the nervous but still charming babble.

"—that I'm very particular about that kind of person that's allowed anywhere near my personal vicinity. And when I mean particular I do very much mean only Oriana, Teagan, and you. So if that person is not either one of you I don't want them anywhere near my so called 'bubble'; particularly not when I'm skipping around in my small clothes!"

"Sweetie, you're rambling…"

Still completely lost in thought the operative simply continued, occasionally fanning her toes with a hand. "I mean that's completely understandable is it not? Now add onto that the," she formed quotations in the air, "_necessity_ of dancing for the buggers and it's become a whole new issue that—"

"Miranda!" London called out loudly, laughter coloring her voice.

The operative shut her lips with a soft pop, her eyes dashing to meet London's, "What? What is it?"

London wasn't able fight her smile back as she looked onto the raven haired woman, "You're thinking that this is going to be full skin on skin action. You're making it seem like they're just going to walk around with their penis's hanging out and that it's your job to fiddle with them!"

When Miranda didn't make a comment the sniper laughed knowing better than to take offense. "Sweetie, in this business it goes as far as you let it go. Usually sex is only involved when your boss gives the okay and it concerns credits. We're not going to be there with the drastic need to earn a living. We're there to get information."

The XO ran her fingers through her own hair and released an elongated sigh. "I know all of that it's just…"

"Look," London said, her voice calm and reassuring, "believe it or not there are some rules that both dancer and client have to abide by. We are there to entertain. This mostly pertains to simple flirting, dancing, and polite conversation."

Miranda grumbled unhappily, "It's the dancing that bothers me. I don't want to do it, nor do I want you to have to partake in any aspect of it again."

"I appreciate your concern for me but they can't touch us unless we specifically say that it's okay for them to use their hands or in some cases tails. Or tentacles," London added almost as an offhanded afterthought.

The operative suppressed the need to gag.

"Here," London laughed as she got up and stood in front of the seated Lawson, "Spread your legs a little."

Miranda's eyebrow went up as she stared into London's eyes, "At least by me dinner first?"

The sniper rolled her eyes but couldn't repress the smirk from forming on her lips, "Shush. Now, pretend that you're the client and that I'm the dancer. In this case, let's say the client is a male, yes? Spread your legs a little and sit more like a man would. Relax."

Miranda sighed but obeyed none the less, uncrossing her legs and spreading them to accommodate the dancer in between her thighs. "Now," London began softly, "when you start to get closer to the client, like I am now, ask them politely to place their hands on the arms of the chair. If the chair has no arms, then simply ask them to keep their hands out of the way and to their sides. They are _not_ allowed to touch you."

Lawson nodded, doing as instructed and keeping her hands to her side as London began to sway to the slow, sensuous music that only the sniper seemed to hear. "You do all the moving," London said quietly as she placed herself in Miranda's lap, "You choose what part of your body touches theirs," she continued, leaning forward and softly flushing the entire front of her torso against the operatives, moving her hips to the unheard melody.

Miranda's eyebrow twitched, "…do all clients get such treatment?"

London wrapped her arms lazily around Miranda's neck and grinned as she noticed what appeared to be several difficult emotions flitting across the XO's face. "There's no special treatment, only dancing. Now may I continue the lesson?"

Miranda bit her lower lip to keep silent but nodded her head in response.

"Good. Now, always remember that _you_ are in charge of the situation. If the client cannot meet your demands it is within your right to simply stop and walk away. If there is a problem and the dance is private, a bouncer will always be stationed outside the room. Remember if we are to remain undercover you cannot take matters into your own hands, Miranda. Run out of the room and let the bouncers take care of it."

Lawson swallowed harshly as she felt the heat between their two bodies increase, her baby blue eyes peering heavily at London. "…I know."

London looked down onto the XO in concern, her hands gently caressing and cupping either side of Miranda's flustered face, "I'm so sorry…am I really making you uncomfortable? I can remove myself? I'm only trying to offer a little bit of insight."

A quick, vehement shake of the head was the only given response as Miranda clutched the bed sheets tightly, the knuckles on her hands whitening. The dancer tilted her head and took notice of Lawson's delicate fingers, watching as they curled and flexed forcefully, nails slightly digging into the soft skin of her palm through the sheets. They were still taking the relationship slowly but as London readjusted herself to make their arrangement more comfortable for the operative, Lawson too moved, her thigh unintentionally grazing London's center. The brunette gasped and Miranda's eyes widened feeling her stomach flip, the warmth of London's core making her own heart quicken.

They were unsure of how to proceed afterwards. One wanted to comfort and encourage while the other wanted to apologize and explain.

"It's…it's okay…" London soothingly assured the raven haired woman by leaning in to place a small kiss on her forehead, her voice soon lowering in sincerity. It was a voice only meant for the operative's ears. "It was nothing. But…if you _did_ want to touch me…that would be okay too."

Miranda felt as if someone had just knocked the wind out of her. She inhaled sharply, her hands slightly beginning to tremble. "London," she said quietly, "I don't know if this is the right time or…"

The sniper shook her head slowly, raising a finger to place against Lawson's lips. "I know. I'm not asking you to do anything, or even saying that you should… I just want you to know that it's alright. It didn't bother me or make me uncomfortable. It wasn't unpleasant and you didn't hurt me. I don't mind the touching as long as the person is you...the woman who saved my life: twice, the woman who I've grown to trust. My hero," she teased tentatively, hoping to lighten the mood.

Two perfect eyebrows furrowed. Miranda had seen enough combat to know that it never paid to be a hero, to be the brave one. The very notion of heroism was ridiculous. Sure, in fairy tales the hero would sweep onto the scene, defeat all evil, and somehow manage to not only save the princess but win her heart. Reality was not like this. A positive outcome was seldom won leaving most situations to end in injury, death, sadness, or heartache—sometimes even all four.

It boggled her, this feeling: She was a woman of intelligence and common sense. Yet when London spoke of Miranda having saved her life on multiple occasions, the operative couldn't figure out why in those matters of seconds she had decided to push the dancer aside and take the full charge of the krogan. She couldn't figure why she chose to be those unrealistic things: a champion, valiant and daring in her shining armor. But she did know, as impractical as it was, that had she been given a second chance…she would not change her actions no matter if it meant her almost dying all over again. She would not only be brave in the face of danger, but she would be fearless… for _her_.

Feelings are a most disturbing and confusing thing.

London tilted her head to the side. "Are you okay?" she questioned softly as blue and gray eyes stared thoughtfully at each other. It was several moments more before Miranda nodded and allowed her fingers to bravely uncurl from their submissive positions, one arm dominantly wrapping around the dancer's slender waist while her other hand lifted itself to grasp and keep the sniper's hand. Miranda was quivering to the very core but never broke eye contact.

London bit her lower lip then sharply drew breath as she was jerked roughly into the operative's body. She could feel her heart thumping, quickening with every second that passed. "_Mm,_" London sighed happily with a smile, bringing her free hand up to run through strands of raven hair. Miranda was always sure to keep her touches light, not daring to let her hands wander out of insecurity. Slowly Miranda tilted her head and leaned in towards the other in gentle request, eyes fluttering to a close as plush, pink lips made tender contact with a pair just as soft.

_That kiss, heaven help them both._

Lawson suspected she could lose herself in the act for literally hours at a time: the suppleness of the others lips against hers, the velvet warmth that their mouths produced, the mind blowing intimacy of their tongues teasing and teeth nipping. Miranda could feel her skin tingle with a surge of heat that only seemed to intensify, her quiet murmurs threatening to transform into moans if they continued.

The need for air was an un-welcome intrusion. So when the lack thereof finally forced London to separate, Lawson frowned and craned her neck to try to reestablish connection. For the briefest of moments blue eyes managed to look past the sniper only to catch a glimpse of another intrusion just as bad: a tattooed convict.

"Oh. My. Fucking. God," said the bald biotic in dread, "Now I know why you didn't find anyone on that iPartner shit."

London snapped her head around to witness a wide-eyed Jack.

"Jack!" Miranda exclaimed, causing a nimble London to get onto her feet and off the operative. "Jack…Why are you—did you? How long—"

The biotic crossed her arms and stared at the two women in complete awe, "Oh I saw and heard the whole show, Cheerleader. **All of it**."

The XO paced a few steps while London bit her lower lip and looked onto the ex-convict, a nervous chuckle escaping her as she tried to change the subject, "At least I won't have to repeat the rules of entertaining right? I assume you heard them?"

"Oh no," Jack laughed out, "I pretty much got it: Grind on the guy until you get pregnant. Check."

Miranda sank back onto her bed and covered her face, her muffled voice small with embarrassment, "Out of all the people on this ship …"

"Lawson, Lawson, Lawson," Jack mockingly scolded, "Lock your damn door! Don't get me wrong, I love embarrassing you but I gotta admit that this surprises the hell outta' me! Shit, I'm _impressed_! Who would've known that you preferred clams over hotdogs?"

London wrinkled her eyebrows in dislike, "Jack that's not—"

"And you! I don't know what the hell you're thinking but I give you credit for having some seriously big balls. I mean…you and another chick is unexpected as is, but you and the _Ice Queen_?"

"Oh you're one to fucking talk, Jack!" Miranda spat out sourly, "I've read your dossier, and I know the things you've done, the situations you've been in, and who you've been in them with." London looked over in surprise. It wasn't like the operative to lose her 'cool'.

"Yeah, yeah, I've dabbled," Jack confessed imperturbably, "but it wasn't because I preferred sea-food city over meat-ville. There's a difference between being attracted to the taco and being confused and very drunk. Damn," Jack thought with a wicked grin, "this certainly puts a twist on the mission, doesn't it? How are you going to feel about it when she's up on a man wiggling and jiggling?"

London gasped, "Jack!"

Miranda shook her head and glared icicles into the tattooed woman, "You stop that right now. This doesn't change a thing. We're getting Sanders, getting out, and that's the end of it. Now do you actually need anything or have you come just to make my life difficult? I want you to leave."

"Aw, what a nice thing to say… and as much as I would love to say 'yes' to that question, that's not why I'm here. Shepard told me to gather you two up. We'll be at the Citadel in fifteen."

London took a step forward, "We'll be ready to go. And Jack?"

The ex-convict raised her hand, "You don't gotta say it, it's already all over both your faces. I won't say shit about the little show I just saw. Who am I gonna tell? It's not like I got friends all over the place. But fair warning: Relationships don't stay secret for long aboard this ship."

London frowned as she thought back to her spar with Jacob.

Miranda squint her eyes, "Duly noted."

Jack laughed through a wide smile as she waved the operative and sniper off and turned to leave, "Later, lesbos."

"Screw it, I'm going to kill her now. She's just rude for the sake of being rude. I don't care if others see," the XO said quickly, turning in pursuit.

London turned to face the dark haired woman and reached out with a little grin, "At this rate there won't be much of a crew left aboard the Normandy with the way you're going, Ms. Lawson."

"Don't worry, I'll leave the important ones," came the almost hissed reply.

The sniper exhaled and walked over to the other woman, her hand rubbing the XO's back soothingly, "Jack is right. They're all going to find out sooner or later, Miranda. It's a small ship."

Lawson nodded her head slowly, "…I know."

London pulled the other woman to sit beside herself on the bed. She didn't want to say what she was about to, fighting with her heart every step of the way and wanting to be selfish. However in the end, the concern for Miranda outweighed her own happiness. "…if…if this is turning out to be something you don't want I wouldn't be angry at you for saying so. I understand the pressures you have to undergo on day to day bases."

Miranda quickly turned to face the other, "London?"

"I care for you so very much but I don't want to add to that pressure. I feel like I'm this big secret and if any one finds out that you'll be ruined somehow." Her heart ached inside of her chest as she led them down a road she didn't want to be anywhere near, "Maybe this wasn't the best time for you to be in a relationship?"

The operative was quiet for a moment, considering her words carefully before daring to open her mouth, "Have I ever told you about Delilah?"

Sheer confusion was evident in London's face but she just shook her head in response. "No, I don't think you have."

"I," Miranda smiled, her eyes looking onto a blank wall almost as if she could see what she spoke of, "I used to have this doll when I was smaller. It was given to me by my first nanny, Nevaeh."

London nodded her head.

"As you know, despite my accomplishments my perfectionist father never approved of me. It wasn't Neva's place and she was thick to ever present the doll to me but…she was kind when my father was not. I suppose it was her way of showing that _someone_ cared about my accomplishments as a child. She told me that the doll's name was Delilah. It was old and a little bit on the ragged side, but I remember being completely enchanted by it. It had this faded red, curly hair and wore a gold dress adorned with fringe that had yellowed with age. My father had never bought me dolls."

"Was your father angry?"

"Oh," Miranda nodded, "when he found out he turned bloody blue and purple he was so angry. Toys were _not_ allowed in the house. I was not a child to him. I was a dynasty and if I was to completely succeed I had to work and keep working. There was no time for play. So not only was Nevaeh fired and thrown from the house in a less than respectable manner…but he took my doll, dragged me to the fire place and threw Delilah in while making me watch. I had her less than four hours before she was taken and destroyed. My nanny was replaced every two months or so after that."

London shook her head, "Miranda, I'm so sorry."

The operative closed her eyes for a moment, "I'm not looking for sympathy, London." She exhaled, opening her lids to find London's eyes. "…what I'm trying to say is I've never had anything of my own. My _entire_ life has been about pleasing others; doing _their_ work, managing _their_ people, executing _their_ plans, keeping _their_ secrets. I was fine with that because it gave me purpose and kept me busy. But…times have changed and I find that I am changing with it. London, what we are is very important to me. I'm sorry if it seems that I overly stress about keeping this relationship private, but honestly I want it that way because for the first time I have something that's _mine_ only—that no one knows about. I don't want to share," she added softly, praying that the dancer didn't think of her as a self-centered child, "I enjoy knowing that what we have no one else can take or interfere with."

"Miranda," London said tenderly, finally exhaling the breath she'd been holding as she reached to take the other woman's hands in her own, "That won't change in the slightest whether no one knows or a million people know because they don't matter to me. There isn't a single person that can take me away or impede upon what we've started, okay?"

The XO nodded, approaching the subject delicately, "I know that there might be some…issues that I haven't quite worked out but…I'm trying. I understand what you're saying, and I'll try to be more at ease with the thought of others knowing, but frankly?"

"Yes?"

"We just need to lock the bloody door!"

London laughed, little wrinkles forming in the corner of her eyes as she leaned in to plant a kiss on the corner of Lawson's mouth. "I agree whole heartedly. Now come on, we'll be docking at the Citadel any second."

**xxxxxxx**

**[9AM/ 11 hours till infiltration/ The Citadel]**

"Alright, ladies" Shepard began, folding his arms and looking into each one of the women's eyes, "today's agenda is going to be a little different than what you may be used to. Flex won't be at Afterlife till around five this evening, so that gives us about an eight hour window to get your clothing, learn whatever basics need learning, and plan out all the finer little details. I already contacted the 'After Dark Fashions' manager and she has agreed to come in early this morning to help you ladies out with whatever it is you might need. I suggest you take advantage of the time you have so let's start. Be back aboard the Normandy by five. Lawson, they're all yours. I have to go pick a few things up."

The executive officer nodded her head, "Yes, Commander."

"Alright then move it out."

The XO extended her arm in the direction of the Citadel's main floor, "Ladies, after you."

Jack rolled her eyes behind her dark visor before turning to follow London's lead, "This is going to be a _great_ day let me tell you."

**xxxxxxx**

Miranda had pressed the elevator's button, sending the small room upwards towards the top floors of the Citadel. Jack leaned against the glass window as she watched the ground grow smaller and smaller with each passing second. "So what are we shoppin' for exactly?"

London followed Jack's line of vision and smiled, "In short we're going to be buying some really nice lingerie."

"Figured as much," the ex-convict said in a huff, "so then answer me this: Where the hell will we be keeping our weapons? Lingerie isn't exactly known for its many gun holsters."

Lawson folded her arms and tapped her fingers along her elbow, "I guess that'll be one of the 'finer little details' we'll have to work out."

"And what about my amp?"

Miranda grinned, "Would you like us to purchase a wig for you? We could buy one in hot pink, yes?"

The sniper watched as the ex-convict's fist balled and quickly spoke up, "They won't be looking at your ears. Trust me."

Jack released a harsh puff of air and settled back against the wall, "Well they won't be lookin at my boobs either. Ain't got any."

"Jack," London reassured calmly, "what a woman lacks in one area, she can usually make up for in another. So what if you don't have breasts? That just means we'll have to put emphasis on your…." London lowered her gaze towards Jack's butt and legs.

The ex-convict followed her eyes and smirked, "Think they got somethin' for me?"

London chuckled, "After Dark Fashions has something for _everyone_."

**xxxxxxx**

**[After Dark Fashions Lingerie Boutique]**

As soon as the elevator doors opened, a tall, slender woman with big, blonde hair was waiting right by the door, a wide, fake smile plastered onto her face. The woman was wearing too much make-up and her attire consisted of a crème colored skirt-suit that cut off properly right above the knee. "Hi, ya'll!" she called out excitedly, a thick southern accent echoing through the already busy floor of the Citadel. "On behalf of all the fine workers here I'd like to welcome you to The After Dark Fashions Intimate Apparel Boutique! My name is Gracie and I'll be helping you with your purchases this fine mornin'! Huggsies!"

Miranda quirked one of her perfect brows in confusion and looked over to London for an answer, "Huggsies?"

Before the operative knew what hit her, Gracie had enveloped the XO in a tight southern hug. Lawson remained perfectly still, her jaw clenched tightly as she shot another glance at the sniper who was already trying so hard not to laugh.

Jack swallowed the giant lump in her throat, her voice coming out tiny and quaking, "God? If you're there please help me. Send one of your smites down to hit that woman in the face? And possibly Lawson's too?"

Gracie had moved onto London, engulfing the sniper in a tight hug. The brunette gave a half grin and awkwardly offered a few light pats on the manager's back. "It's nice to meet you, Gracie."

"Oh please, honey-bun, call me Grace!" the manager said quickly, offering a flop of the wrist and a soft chuckle as she moved on to stand in front of Jack. Gracie had just begun to extend her arms before the ex-convict put two fingers on the manager's chest and held the woman at an arms distance. "Listen up real careful, lady. Touch me and I'll smack that clown makeup right off your face."

Grace leaned away from the violent woman, her eyes narrowing and mouth twisting into a scowl. "This one's not much of a lady, is she?"

Miranda turned to walk into the boutique, "That's Jack, and no—she's really not."

"Jack?" the manager asked quizzically, "Jack as in Jackie? _Jacqueline_," She added with a suave French accent, "Ooo!," Grace continued to squeal, "Is it Jacqueline—please say yes? Were you earthborn too, darlin'! I was from the south but you're French perhaps? _Parlez vous francais?"_

Jack narrowed her eyes, her temper already starting to flare. She pointed a rigid finger over towards the floors railing. They were near the very top of the Citadel and it was a long, long way down. "Lady, if you don't stop talking to me I'm going to parlez vous your ass right over that safety railing and send you back down south."

Grace stood there silently, seemingly oblivious to the threat and more concerned over Jack's skill at her supposed second language. "You silly goose, that just made no sense what so ever!"

The biotic watched as the manager turned, giggling madly as if just hearing a really good joke. Jack's eyes went into slits as she helplessly followed, her mouth silently forming a stream of cuss words.

**xxxxxxx**

"Okay _mademoiselles_," Grace said cheerfully, purposefully eyeballing Jack and winking, "do you already have what you want in mind, or will we be starting from scratch?"

London shrugged lightly, "I, uh, have _some_ ideas, but honestly I think it'd be best to just review our body types and determine what style of lingerie would fit. What do you think?" she asked, turning to face both Miranda and Jack.

"That sounds fine with me," the operative agreed.

"I don't give a shit." Jack said flatly, tossing herself down onto one of the departments many fluffy sitting chairs.

Gracie pursed her lips as she turned her attention to the lewd woman covered in tattoos, "I guess we'll just have to start with _you_ then, Ms. Grouchy-Pants."

Jack released a low growl as she stood right back up from her seat, "Figures."

"Pray tell darlin', but are those tattoos real or are they a removable fashion statement perhaps? If so will you be removin' them so we can see the beautiful young woman underneath all that muck?"

The ex-convict looked the store's manager over and clenched her jaw shut, her attitude beginning to go farther south. "Real."

"Great," Grace said in obvious and very dramatic distaste. "I suppose we'll just have to find something that can somehow work with…_that_."

Jack exhaled heavily, "Look lady, just tell me what you want me to do. The faster I get outta' here, the less likely I am to burn down your store."

"Oh tsk-tsk, there will be no speaking of burning my boutique down. I can't rush this! We're going to have to take a look at what kind of body you have, darlin' so let's strip you down. I'll need to take a few measurements so I can determine your size."

"Whatever," Jack said, instantly grabbing the rim of her tight, torn t-shirt and lifting it over her head. Her belt buckle and pants soon followed in a matter of moments. "What next?"

"Jack!" Miranda said through clenched teeth, "She was about to tell you to go undress in the dressing area—BEHIND closed doors."

The ex-convict brought her arms out and shrugged, "What the hell's up your ass? She told me to get in the buff for measurements and I did! Who gives a shit if it's out here or in there? We're the only ones in the store!"

The executive officer covered her eyes and turned away from the loud biotic to take a seat in one of the lounging chairs. Jack turned around to notice that several men and a few women had stopped whatever it was they were doing and were now staring at her from beyond the stores entrance way. Jack placed her hands on her hips and leaned into the small crowd, "Take a holo and get the hell outta' here, will ya?"

"Jack," London said carefully, "maybe you should scoot into the changing area?"

The biotic snorted and pointed out in the direction of the little crowd, "I'm wearing a freakin' bra and panties! They're just acting like they ain't never seen a woman's goods before! You all ain't virgins are you?" She called out, turning her attention back to the small group of people who now cleared their throats and attempted to continue on their way. "That's what I thought."

"Oh my sweet baby lord," Grace said uneasily, walking over and taking the shameless biotic by the elbow, "if you'll just walk this way towards the dressing area, I'll be happy to start your measurements."

"Hey watch those hands, lady!"

Miranda looked at the convict in awe, "You'd swear she was six years old if you didn't know any better. It's like she _tries_ her hardest to be as difficult as possible."

London observed the fussy ex-convict with a grin, "She's a unique woman with unique circumstances and I rather like her. I also wish you two wouldn't argue so much. I bet if you would just give each other five minutes of calm conversation that you'd be surprised at the outcome."

Lawson shook her head as she watched Gracie practically stuff the cussing Jack into the changing stall, "The words calm and Jack don't fit together in the same sentence whatsoever. Besides…it always ends up getting personal and we just get angry. You were there earlier today were you not? It was like a big joke to her! I mean: Sea-food city? Meat-Ville? Where does she get this crap? We're better off just completely avoiding each other."

The sniper laughed softly with a shrug, "So she has a rougher personality I'll admit. But she's really not a bad person, Miranda. She's got her cuts and bruises just like us. She just goes about handling them a different way. I think she's changed a lot since I've first met her. Maybe Shepard has something to do with that but…it's definitely a change for the better."

"I guess there's another major difference between us then."

"Oh?" London questioned, "And what difference would that be?"

"You're really too nice at times. You're one of those 'always see good in people' types aren't you?"

"No," the gray eyed woman chuckled honestly, "I'm one of those '_some_ people deserve the benefit of the doubt' types. One day when everyone's world is _not_ ending, you and I along _with_ Jack are going to sit down in some quiet place, have a few drinks, and a pleasant conversation."

Miranda smirked at the thought, "How about when we actually do get that time off it's just us first and then…"

"And then?" London happily encouraged.

"….and then," Miranda paused, slouching in her seat, "…then I'll _think_ about it."

"Well think quickly," London playfully warned, "That day might be sooner than you think."

"Young woman, please stand still!" came the exhausted voice from within the stall. Once Gracie had secured the ex-convict behind closed doors she instantly retrieved her measuring tape. "Pick your arms up and hold them out, please!"

Jack mumbled under her breathe but did as instructed, watching the woman move quickly all around her, making various mutters and odd noises as she took the biotic's measurements. "Well, you're _much_ smaller in the chest area than most of our costumers but I do believe we have just the thing for you!"

"Look at my face. I'm so excited I'm practically bursting." Jack replied in mono-tone, her expression perfectly… expressionless.

The manager offered the convict an unimpressed look before momentarily disappearing from the stall only to come back with a tiny bundle of black apparel. "Try these on. This is from our signature 'Sexy Little Things' collection, the "Bad Girl" edition. I present to you the satin lace-up corset with the built in 'lover-girl' push up pads. You have those lace leavers as an extension if you choose to wear thigh-highs, and a pair of matching black lace panties, low cut to show the entire midriff but accentuate the buttocks and thighs."

"Speak English!" Jack demanded, her eyes narrowing towards the southern woman.

Gracie exhaled in annoyance, "It's a corset that makes your boobs look big while placing emphasis on your tummy and butt."

"Why didn't you just fuckin' say that?" Jack asked, opening to the dressing room door to quickly push the manager out and try on her new outfit.

"Well I never—!" the southern woman gasped as she was forced out of the stalls, her eyes in slits as she glared at the now closed doors, "Is she always like this?" Grace asked the other pair of women in a harsh tone.

"Is she always vulgar, rude, and ill-tempered?" "Miranda responded with ease, "Yes."

"Hey lady, I already finished putting on the panties. Get your ass in here and lace this thing up!" Jack called from within the stall.

London could have sworn she saw Gracie's nostrils flare as she re-entered the changing area. "Well," the sniper said softly, "at least she got the hardest part of her day over and done with first."

Miranda watched the changing room with curiosity, "I have to hand it to Grace. I was expecting her to last fifteen minutes in there with Jack before breaking down the stall door and shouting that she quit her job."

London chuckled, "And I have to hand it to Jack. She's been with Grace quite a while and has managed not to kill her.

"Touché."

Minutes passed but they did not pass in silence. Jack kept her tongue sharp, often commenting on how slow the manager was at lacing up the corset only to then be hushed by Gracie roughly pulling the laces tightly In hopes of cutting off the improper woman's air supply. "Madam, I will have you know that lacing a corset properly is an art form! It takes time and above all—patience!"

The XO sighed lightly from the outside, her words low and mumbled, "Boy did she ever pick the wrong outfit to give Jack."

"Well shit, lady! I ain't got all day! And you better teach someone to do this lace business because I won't be walking out of here in this. I ain't got to wear it till much later."

"There, you impatient cow!" Gracie hissed, finally tying the two laces together in a delicate bow at the bottom of the corset. "Go and show your friends!"

Jack burst through the door and stood before both of her teammates. "Well?"

Both women's eyebrows went up in shock. London blinked a few times in disbelief, "The corset suits you, Jack. You look…well…you look _sexy_. I think it'll do. How do you feel in it?"

"Eh, I've worn less."

"Understatement of the century," Miranda said sarcastically.

London smiled, "Do you know what kind of heel you'll be wearing?"

"Heel?" Jack scoffed, "I ain't wearing no heels. I'm wearing my combat boots and that's the end of it."

Miranda frowned, "You're wearing combat boots with black laced lingerie? You can't be serious."

"Well why the hell not? My boots are black. They match."

"Have you no taste?"

London chuckled, "It might work. You'll have more of the 'tough girl' appearance but a lot of mercenaries are really into that. It'll go with your tattoos. Now all you need is the whip!" she joked lightly.

"I get a whip?" Jack replied, her eyes lighting up in anticipation.

Miranda groaned, "It was a joke. You're not playing a dominatrix for God's sake."

"We do have an assortment of whips and bonds if you're interested," Gracie decided to casually throw into the conversation; "Not every high end boutique sells such things, but they came specifically for our 'Naughty Girl' collection. It's mostly just for decoration but there's one that would match that outfit perfectly as a matter of fact. It's black leather with an intricate handle design. Are you interested?"

"Yes!" Jack practically shouted.

"Very well, I'll just add that up to the total!"

"Great," Lawson said unenthusiastically. "_Now_ she has a whip."

London grinned, "It'll be alright."

"And there ya have it, folks" Jack said, "straight from the mouth of the master. Corset, combat boots, and whip it is! Ring it up, bozo." She said, turning her attention towards the manager with heavy make-up. "And get me out of this damn thing."

**xxxxxxx**

"Now _this_ is a woman!" Grace exclaimed as she took Miranda's measurements behind closed doors. "Oh my dear you'll have many options to choose from. Do you have the slightest idea in what you'd prefer to wear?"

Lawson folded her arms across her chest in discomfort as Grace measured her hips and waist. "This is an unusual case for wearing lingerie so I'd prefer to wear something that mostly covers me up."

"Why would you want to cover this up?" the manager asked in a gasp, her eyes darting up to look at Miranda's face. "There's so much here to work with, suga', it'd be a cryin' shame to try and hide it."

"Just do as I ask, Grace."

The manager huffed, "I'll do what I can, honey-bun, but I don't promise you anything. This _is_ a lingerie boutique after all. If you were lookin' to cover up to begin with this shouldn't have been your first choice for shopping. There is a discount shop quite a few levels below this store. Perhaps you could pick yourself up a nice cotton robe?"

Miranda frowned at the store manager. The words discount and the last name Lawson did not go well together. "I have a lot that needs to get done today, so I would appreciate it if you could possibly withhold your useless comments. Either help me in making a selection, or call London in here so she can do your job for you."

Grace pursed her lips as she observed Miranda's neutral face. "Ah, I can see you're a woman of means Ms. Lawson. Used to gettin' her way and getting' it done fast. I'll see what we have and try to match it best with what preferences you've given me."

"I've ordered quite a few outfits from this brand, Grace. And if my memory serves me correctly you should have quite the selection of babydolls. Am I right?"

Gracie crossed her arms and nodded her head, "We do. Is the babydoll style the one that would interest you most?"

"I think it would. Don't bring me something that's pure lace. I want it to have a solid color around the cups; I do not wish to reveal my breasts. The actual 'flowing' part of the babydoll may be sheer, preferably mesh and stretchable."

Grace raised a brow, "Anything else?"

"Bring me what you have and we'll see from there."

Minutes later Grace returned with several choices to choose from. She was asked to spread them all out along the length of the dressing room bench and stand back. Miranda was quick to discard those she found unappealing or too revealing, soon narrowing down the choices to a mere three: a pink, white, and soft plum babydoll. "London," the operative called out calmly, "Will you please come in and assist me in making a decision?"

"Sure," answered the sniper coolly. When London had finally entered she observed the remainder of the choices on the bench. Her decision was instantaneous as she pointed towards the pastel plum color. "Most definitely that one is the perfect one."

"That quickly?" Miranda asked, her eyebrow rising in concern. "Are you sure?"

"It's an excellent choice," Grace said with a nodding head, "From our classic collection, a beautifully crafted babydoll made of both the finest lace and mesh. The straps are adjustable for comfort and it's solid around the breasts but sheer around the abdomen. The gown should fall just two inches below the pelvis; it leaves plenty to the imagination but shows off the entirety of your thighs and legs."

"It goes two inches beneath my pelvis? So basically I can't bend over. What panties go underneath this outfit?"

Grace laughed lightly, "Darlin' don't be silly! This doesn't come with panties. For this little number you'll have to wear the matching v-string."

Miranda's eyes went into a slit, and London reached out to hold onto the operative's forearm. "V-strings aren't so bad. They're sexy but still manage to keep it tasteful. The color of the 'V' is solid isn't it, Grace?"

The manager nodded her head, "To match the cups, yes it is. It's a lovely v-string if I do say so myself. A delicate cut of lace adorns the shape, it really is quite pretty."

London turned to Miranda with an encouraging look, "Try it on to see how you feel. This isn't about feeling sexy, it's about feeling comfortable. If you don't like it I'm sure there is something else."

Miranda nodded her head and waited for both Grace and London to exit the dressing room. Slowly she removed herself of her own undergarments before dressing into the pastel plum babydoll. Lawson was surprised as how freeing it actually felt. The outfit was comfortable and didn't show as much as she thought it would. While the gown was sheer, it wasn't so sheer that neither every little detail of the body beneath nor her v-string could be completely seen. Miranda observed the way she looked in the mirror intently, turning her body and looking over her shoulder then turning again to examine her full front.

"How are we doing in there, suga'?" Grace voiced out from the other side of the door.

"I'll take it."

"Not going to show us?" Gracie asked again in clear curiosity, unsatisfied with such a boring response.

"There's no need. It looks fine."

The manager sighed in boredom and rolled her eyes, "Very well, I'll add it to the tally—next!"

**xxxxxxx**

"Now stop me if I'm wrong, sweetness, but you seem like the kind of woman who knows her way around a good piece of lingerie."

London nodded her head and smiled as Grace took her measurements, "Guilty."

"Hallelujah! Well then this should make my life all kinds of easy. What do you have in mind, darlin'?"

"Well I would consider my stomach and legs to be my finer features, so I was considering a cut-out teddy?"

After reviewing the sniper's measurements a little more closely the manager sprung to her feet with a wide grin, "I would have suggested the same thing myself and I think I have just the thing for you!"

London offered a smile in return as she watched the excited manager exit the dressing room. "She must _really_ like this job," she mumbled quietly to herself.

"Is everything alright?" Miranda asked from the outside.

"Yeah, everything is fine. Grace went to get something that she thinks would look good on me."

"Thank God," Jack moaned loudly in the background, "I'm fuckin' starving' over here!"

London grinned as her eyes traced some of the other pieces in her stall, "Sorry, Jack! I'll be as quick as possible. We'll be out of here before you know it."

"Maybe even sooner!" Grace said loudly and animatedly, "I have just the thing you're looking for right here in my hands!"

Miranda eyed the blonde woman as she walked from the back rooms towards the dressing room. She looked like she was barley holding anything in her hands at all. "That's the outfit London is going to wear?"

Grace nodded her head, "She said she wanted a cut-out so I got her the best design we had. It's not released yet so let's keep this on the hush-hush shall we? It won't hit the shelves till next week."

"Bring it in and let me see, Grace." London asked from inside the stall.

The manager nodded and squeezed her way into the door, "Here we are, sweetie! Dare to bare in this signature risk piece! It features this very sexy black, stretch lace material that hugs the breasts together while pushing them upwards, a pink ruffled trim with small satin bows in detail that line down the middle of your abdomen, and a back closure for extra comfort and safety. The panties are cut in a cheeky-bottom style with a hip tie-off that make the hinny look absolutely stunning. This piece would look perfect on you. I'm sure of it!"

London ran the soft material carefully in her hands. The piece was beautiful indeed and most likely the most expensive thing she would ever wear. "I'll try it on."

"Brilliant!" Grace beamed, stepping out of the stall soon after.

She was careful when slipping into the intricate piece, running her hands over the cloth and smoothing out all the smaller details. The lingerie complimented her body perfectly, emphasizing her well toned stomach and legs while making her breasts and butt look incredible. London tilted her head in the mirror and smiled as she ran her hands over her body. "It really is nice. I like it."

Miranda and Grace leaned into the doorway, "May we see?"

The sniper laughed softly at the overly curious pair, "Sure. The door is unlocked."

Lawson carefully pushed the door open as to not hit the woman within. When London came into view the operative's breath got caught in her chest. "London you look beauti—what happened to your ribs?"

"Just sparred a little bit this morning in the Cargo deck, it's nothing but a bruise. Make-up will cover it for tonight."

"I'll retrieve a rubbing salve from the medical bay when we get back. It'll aid the tissue in healing."

London nodded with an appreciative smile, "Thank you. I just hope the bruise doesn't distract too much for now?"

"No you still look—"

"Totally fuckin' bangable." Jack said as she peeked her head in.

Miranda rolled her eyes but managed to control the need to retort. "You look beautiful, London. It's a little more revealing than I'd like but it is a very nice piece."

The sniper's eyebrows knitted in concern, "You don't approve of it? It'll find something else."

"Nah," Jack said casually, "She's probably just worried that you'll drown in all the drool that forms around you. Those mercs will really get a kick out of you wearin' that."

"That's the plan," London said firmly, "Sex sells in there and I plan to purchase information. I want to find out everything I can about June."

Miranda scowled at the convict, "Not exactly worried about drool, but my concern _is_ legitimate. It's a very stunning choice for you, don't get me wrong. As long as you're comfortable _in_ it, I'm comfortable _with_ it."

London's nodded, "I'll take it then, Grace."

The manager clapped her hands happily, "I am clueless as to what you gals are even talkin' about but I'll go ahead and add it to the tally as well then! Will there be anything else to help you ladies with this fine morning?"

"Who's tying my corset after we get leave this hell hole?" Jack demanded.

London answered, "I can do it. I've done it several times before."

Miranda shook her head towards the manager, "I think that'll be all, Grace. Just have the packages delivered to the address specified from Commander Shepard as soon as possible. We need them there and ready to go by early this afternoon. Thank you for all the help you've provided us with today."

After giving London the time to redress Gracie escorted the trio out of the boutique and sent them off with a polite wave, "Thanks for stoppin' by and you are very welcome, suga'. We'll be seein' you, ladies! Take care!"

**xxxxxxx**

**[12PM/ 8 hours until infiltration/ The Citadel]**

With the first task of the day done the three women headed back towards the elevator. "See," London said cheerfully, "that wasn't so bad was it, Jack?"

The biotic snorted as she quickly passed the elevator doors and slammed herself against the back wall before folding her arms tightly, "I would have rather been set on fire. I've never heard someone say 'sugar' or 'honey-bun' so many damn times in a day. We should go check to see if she made us diabetic."

A quickly corrected grin came forth from Miranda. "London, do you think there's anything we need to review before we continue on with the day?"

Jack snickered, "I think you learned everything you needed to this morning."

Both of the other women groaned much to Jack's satisfaction, "But really though, she doesn't needa teach us anything. This mission is going to be cake. We go in, make a few guys or gals feel special, get a little info, and get the hell out of there."

The XO shook her head, "You can't be serious…"

"If someone asks for a dance all you gotta do is wiggle your hips and shake what your mama gave you."

Miranda leaned back against the elevator wall and lifted a brow, "I didn't have a mother, Jack. I had a genome."

"Yeah well I didn't know my mother but I still figured out how to use my assets to get what I want."

"That doesn't shock me."

The ex-convict put her visor back on as she grinned, "Just answer me this, Cheerleader: In the entire span of your sexual life has a man—or woman" she added, shooting a glance at O'Conner, "…ever complained about what you look like, how sexy you were, or how good you were in bed?"

London's eyes shot to Miranda in curiosity while Lawson scoffed and looked out the window, "Don't be ridiculous, of course they haven't."

"Exactly," Jack said with a smirk, "Because they don't care if you're well trained in the act of seduction. What matters to them is that they have a beautiful, half naked woman on top of them giving them all the attention in the world."

London couldn't help but chuckle, "It's not about seduction per say, but rather about the art of suggestion."

Jack gave the dancer a bored look which in turn earned yet another laugh from the brunette before she conceded, "Fine, fine. I can't say you're entirely wrong either. When I worked at Afterlife there was a classically trained dancer working too. Let's just say I don't remember any client ever complimenting her on her education."

"Point proven, thank you very much." Jack said casually as the elevator doors opened, the three women then walking out and heading towards the Normandy. "When we put on that lingerie, they won't give a flying fuck about anything else."

Miranda looked over at London, "What was a classically trained dancer doing at Afterlife?"

"I didn't know very much about her, but I had heard that she had a red sand addiction that pretty much led her to losing everything. She's lucky the Batarians didn't pick her up when she could no longer afford to support the habit."

Jacked reached up to stretch as she yawned loudly, "Who cares about that? What about our weapons? We still haven't figured that out."

"Specialist Goto will be carrying majority of the fire arms with her," Miranda replied, "as for us we'll have to think in terms of small weaponry."

"Miranda," London said, "guns will probably be a no go for us. We'll be lucky if we can even fit a small knife between our breasts. Honestly if something does go wrong, you wouldn't want a gun to fire off in a place like that anyways. We need to keep it quiet."

The XO considered carefully, "Valid point."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Jack said abruptly, holding her hands out, "are you saying we're goin' in with nothin?"

Miranda sighed, "It's not solid at this point, Jack. Once we redress we'll see what we can fit in. But I'll have you know that we'll still have our biotics; we're not exactly helpless. Plus you do have a whip, right? You can always terrorize them to death. "

The ex-convicted scowled, "Whatever."

London smiled as they turned a corner and continued walking, "Correction. _You guys _will have your biotics…and whips."

"Ah don't worry," Jack said, patting the dancer roughly on the back, "no matter what we got we won't let the bad men hurt you."

"You know what? Let's not talk about worst case scenario anymore, shall we?" Miranda replied composedly, "This is going to go smoothly. We won't even have a need for weapons."

"That's right," London agreed quickly, "Smooth operation the whole way."

"Yeah you two keep thinkin' that," Jack answered, "I _always_ expect the worst. When do we _not_ run into the worst case on this team?"

**xxxxxxx**

**[12:15PM/ The Normandy]**

Kenneth and Garrus were practically bursting out of their skin, "Really, Shepard?" they asked in unison, the rest of the Normandy team seeming just as surprised as they were.

John nodded his head, "Calibrations have been done, everyone cleared the work at their stations, the away team is prepped, and we still have around five hours left before Flex arrives at Omega. The plan has been set, the equipment is ready to go—I can't think of any other reason to keep you all here and still remain productive. We are surprisingly ahead of schedule so…"

The team seemed to lean in, dangling on every syllable that Shepard said and hoping that those five magical words would leave his lips.

"…you get two hours off."

Though every single soul on that ship refrained from outright yelling in happiness the atmosphere had completely changed. Everyone was suddenly alive and the air was practically crackling with energy. "I know I've been working you all hard," Shepard continued, "…and I know we've had no time off ever since our 'suicide mission'. It's always going to be hard and it's always going to be busy. But I'd just like to say that I appreciate each and every one of you for staying with me this far. I wouldn't be here—none of us would be here if it weren't for the unique skills that each one of us brings to this team. Take advantage of this rare opportunity and have some fun because we don't know if this is ever going to happen again. Leave the ship if you'd like, relieve all your stress but please stay out of trouble. We are still on a mission and I expect you guys to be ready to go come this evening. Are we clear?"

The team nodded their heads, offering an assortment of 'Yes, Commanders' and 'Aye, Ayes'. "Alright then, get out of here and go grab a bite to eat. Enjoy your afternoon." Shepard said with an honest smile. "And O'Conner, before you leave can you come over here for a second?"

The dancer looked at Miranda in curiosity then back towards Shepard, "Sure thing," she said quickly, "What can I do for you, Commander?"

"You don't have to do anything. While you were out I took the liberty of picking up some things for you."

"Shepard?" came the puzzled reply, "Pick some things up for me? I wasn't aware that I had ordered anything?"

John grinned, "You didn't—I did. I can't have an individual on this ship without the means of communications. You're about to go on a mission and I can't have a teammate out of reach. I'm actually surprised you got along this far without one. So here," he added casually, throwing a small chip incased in a heavy, hard plastic towards her, "an omni-tool."

Her eyes widened as she caught the tiny thing, "Shepard, this isn't necessary—"

"Of course it is," he interrupted, "no one on this ship goes anywhere without one. I have a close friend that makes these so it wasn't a big deal. It has a state of the art micro-frame and sensor pack, along with a top grade mini-facturing fabricator. It has a ton of memory so don't be shy about packing it up. I also had a few things added to it such as the ability to administer first aid and a slight boost to your non-biotic talents. It's pretty much an infiltrator's dream."

London gazed upon the tiny chip in awe, "I—"

"Don't say anything because we're not done yet. Here," he said, pulling two alloy looking hilts out of his belt, "these are yours too. My friend Liara came by these and sent them to me. I figured you'd probably get the most use out of them as seeing your skills with knives."

The sniper eyed the two small hilts in the palm of Shepard's hand curiously, "My skill with knives? Is that what they are?"

"They're actually kind of amazing. I've yet to see anything like this on the market but yes, that is what they are."

Shepard asked London to hold one of the hilts while he demonstrated with the other, "It's not the kind of knife you might be used to, far from being a regular military grade tactical knife. The blade is plasma based. Pure energy forced and suspended into a containment field. The plasma itself has no weight, so you'll most likely have to practice carefully before putting them to use. Liara instructed that you learn to balance the weight in the hilt to control it."

John then proceeded to activate the energy, holding the blade away from his body and allowing the bright white light to stretch out.

"That's not a fuckin' knife," Jack said flatly, watching as the blade extended, "That's a damn short sword… and a flashlight."

"Knife or 'Short sword', a blade is a blade and these blades makes absolutely no noise," he said slicing through the air carefully, "so it's a choice weapon when rifles aren't an option and enemies are in melee range. Certainly beats the hell out of hitting a target with the butt of a gun."

London watched the blade carefully as it moved through the air, "What about enemy shields, Commander?"

"Unless you can swing at someone with the same force and speed as a bullet then shields shouldn't activate—it goes through it all: Nano-crystal shielding, Geth Shielding, and even kinetic barriers. It'll go straight through to the flesh of the person. But don't worry, if by chance you do end up chopping something off," he added, shutting off the hilt and extending it towards London, "… it cauterizes."

Jack scoffed, "Peachy. I've cut off your arms and legs—but hey! Don't worry! At least you won't bleed to death! High-five! Oh wait…"

The sniper eyed John closely, "And you're sure you want…_me_ to have them?"

"If I didn't they wouldn't be in your hands, O'Conner. Practice with them when you get the chance. I think we can turn some more space in the Cargo deck into a practice area if need be. I'm sure the whole team would like that. I know Grunt and Specialist Taylor have wanted a proper work out room."

London nodded slowly, looking down into her hands at both hilts and the small omni-chip. "I really don't know what to say except…thank you, Commander."

"There's no need for thanks. Anyways, that's all that I needed to give you. Go on and have a nice afternoon, O'Conner. I'll see you back here in a few."

"Yes, Commander" the dancer replied with quick nod before turning back towards a curious Miranda and walking off.

As the team scattered out and into the citadel Jack walked up towards the Commander, who still had his eye on his second in command and London. "Is it me or have they been spending a lot of time together?"

The biotic shrugged, "Who cares. What are we doing with our time off?" she asked, a grin forming on her lips. "A lot of really, really good sex?"

"While that plan is definitely enticing I think I'll take this opportunity to take you out. I just need to go up to my cabin and change."

Jack's eyeballed Shepard with a lifted brow, "A date? Seriously? No sex?"

"Seriously," he mused, taking Jack by the hands then bringing the woman close and holding them behind her lower back. He held her in his arms for a few quiet moments with a smirk before speaking, "Or we could do whatever you want to do as long as it involves leaving the ship for a little bit. Have anything in mind?"

"I…" The biotic looked down at her feet, considering her words before presenting them to her commander. "Actually…there is something that I've been thinking about. I had this talk with London back on Watson and…it's a little stupid and probably pointless but it made me think. I want to try. And you have to promise to let me make the call if anything comes up."

"Make the call on what? What decision will you have to make?"

"Promise first."

"Give me a little hint as to what I'm getting myself into before I sign my name on it? Please?"

The biotic looked deeply onto him and John froze, noticing that there seemed to be no mischief hiding in the dark of her eyes. Instead there was only a lingering sadness that danced upon the hues of her hazel orbs, layers upon layers of life experience mixed with the inability to answer why all of it had all happened to her. However, there was also something else he saw: a small spark of childlike curiosity that showed her humanity was still there, hidden beneath the years of torture and rape and trying so desperately to come out. It was this spark that made her both beautiful and irresistible in his eyes.

John's life had always been about war and survival. Jack was his release from the violence: his sanctuary, his balance. Out of all the places to find innocence, the last place anyone would have ever thought to look…was Jack. But he found it and he was never letting go.

"Alright…I promise."

The corners of the biotic lips lifted into a genuine smile that simply took Shepard's breath away. "Then," she said, "Let's do this."

"Do what, exactly?"

She looked around quickly to make sure no one else was present before rolling onto her toes to press her full lips against his. She then leaned into his ear with a whisper soft voice.

Shepard nodded his head seriously. "I can help you with that. It might take a while but I can most definitely help you with that."

**[End of 26: Tricks and Tools of the Trade]**

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**_A/N: The next chapter will be posted on Monday or Tuesday of next week!_

_Concrit, reviews, and random comments are always appreciated._

_With many thanks to: bergachaea, Hewhoislost, MEFan1, CloudGazer15, tachello, mmmcereal, Octo8, Naaa-E, Renja, Janizary, Tyr'amun, Aaron, Jennifer Gray, and of course Zebrahater._

_You guys are amazing. =) Thanks for sticking with me on my first fan-fiction journey.  
_


	27. Step 1  Comfort and Exploration

_A/N: What! No way! She's posting again! YES. I AM! I decided that while I'm away from my desk at home that I'd bring my laptop. I wrote this up in a few hours and wanted to post it for fun. :D_

_Lengthy AN alert because it's important to tell you!_

_First off: Tyr'amun had made a little comment about FFTL turning into a Mirianda/OC story and I felt the need to address it to everyone who is probably considering the same thing! In a sense it has—for now. Let me explain. I go about writing in 'story arcs or acts'. It's how I plan what's going to happen. My first arc was about the Shepard/Jack relationship, my second was the introduction of my OC, their side story, and relationship with Miranda, but as my second arc comes to an end (which it will shortly) and the third begins so will the focus shift once more. It's just kind of how I keep organization and keep writer's block from my doorstep._

_Secondly: [**Spoiler Free Alert**] **This chapter is purely fluffy fun reading** and focuses solely on Miranda and London. If you're not interested in the couple, please feel free to skip this chapter as seeing I'm pretty much promising you that you'll miss nothing of the main plot._

_Why not directly plot related? I needed to have a little bit of fun. I sit at my bed for hours in the night writing (it's when I have time to myself) and the chapters I have coming up are really very dark and violent and it's affecting my mood.(Note to self: Stop writing depressing crap in the dark.)_

_I wasn't originally going to post it BECAUSE it has no plot and I didn't think it was important so **I didn't pass it on to my Beta reader (so excuse my errors)**. However, the more I looked at the situation I put Miranda's character in and the more I tweaked the scenes, the more I realized that this chapter is quite the opposite. It's very important in her growth as a love interest and as an individual. Plus it gave me the opportunity to tie up some loose ends that were bothering me._

_So, I decided to address the loose ends while taking the advantage to work on the way in which Miranda processes emotion—not saying that she's a numb, black hole of emptiness…but we all have to admit that the woman has her problems. As the very awesome user MEFan1 said, "I can certainly imagine that a woman who had grown up under her circumstances would have problems functioning outside of a professional relationship." Right on the money. _

_I can only hope I accurately portrayed what I was going for._

_Lastly: [Warning] Chapter contains a seriously bad sense of humor and rated M stuff that's very rated M-like. *tee hee*_

_

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[Chapter Twenty-Seven: Step 1 - Comfort and Exploration]

**Shepard, Mordin, Grunt, Garrus, Jacob, Joker, Kenneth, Legion**

**12:30P.M.**

**7.5 hours till Infiltration**

"We get two hours off the ship and this is what you want to do?" Garrus asked aloud, making his way with the group of men down towards the Citadel's main floor entry way.

Shepard threw his hands up in innocence, "Not me. It was Donnelly."

"Who let him pick again?"

"Oh come on now! It'll be fun and we get to use all of that pent up energy." Kenneth nodded with an unwavering expression, "Plus since we can't go down to The Darkstar for a drink there's nothing much else to do here for entertainment."

"No one's getting drunk today," Shepard nodded sternly. "We have business to do."

"With a Commander like this guy what is all this pent up energy you're talking about?" Garrus questioned the engineer's sanity as he stared upon him, mandible twitching in both wonder and aggravation, "My energy has been nearly exhausted since we've left the Omega 4 Relay in tact. There's never a day's rest on this ship."

"And you wouldn't have it any other way, Vakarian," John mused with a light heart.

"Damn straight."

"I think you should do a little more research there, Kenny boy. There's a ton of stuff to do here that doesn't involve alcohol," Joker said flatly, turning a bent brow towards the engineer.

"Not as fun as this!"

"I don't care what we do as long as it's worth doing," Jacob sighed, "Kasumi gave me so much gripe about spending my time with you all rather than her."

"Perhaps you should determine who the alpha in the relationship is and reestablish dominance," Grunt throatily laughed.

Joker grinned as he wobbled beside the small group, "What he said. Aren't you two always together on the ship anyways?"

"Yeah, but we're both usually working away on our terminals and omni-tools. This is genuine free time we're getting and I'll be doing...what exactly?"

**xxxxxxx**

The group was standing in the middle of a large arena littered with obstacles and obstructions, all of which could easily be used to take cover and cause line of sight issues. "Paintball!" Kenneth roared through his helmet, a full padded armor set adorning his body as arms stretched outwards towards the heavens for theatrical emphasis. "The sport of only the manliest of men! This will be team versus team, four on four! Garrus, me, Mordin and Grunt versus Jacob, Legion, Shepard and Joker!"

"Four on three," Joker corrected as he wobbled off the field. "If I would have known we were doing this I would have saved myself the walk over. I don't feel like breaking my bones today, boys! I'm going to watch a vid and grab some grub."

"Fine," Kenneth called out in the pilot's direction, "All the worse for your team! Four on three! We start now. LET THE BATTLE BEG—"

Grunt instantly lifted his small paint gun and shot Kenneth in face, "You're out."

**xxxxxxx**

**Gabby, Tali, London, Kasumi, Miranda, Samara, Kelly, Jack**

The shopping wards around the middle sector were one of the liveliest parts of the Citadel, always bright in color and diverse in race. Vendors, cafés, and shops of all kinds cluttered the space as their employees shouted out bargains in hopes of attracting customers.

Jack had diverted a path towards the arms dealer while Samara had taken to drinking tea and sitting quietly at a café's table, reading while the others walked around nearby shops and examined their wares. "Well hopefully he'll feel guilty and buy you something fancy while he's bumming around with the guys. It's December, isn't it? He can get an early Christmas gift," Kelly said cheerfully, eyeing the various purses and accessories.

"That was the plan!" Kasumi sniggered while looking at assorted pieces of jewelry. When she had found a necklace that caught her fancy Miranda leaned into the thief, "Don't even think about it." The smaller framed woman pouted as she turned her attention away and went on to look at other things. "Fine," Kasumi drew the word out dramatically, of course.

.

Gabby shrugged her shoulders as she examined an assortment of things , "I never understood why we celebrate Christmas by telling kids that an old, fat man with a naughty list and sun burnt cheeks breaks into our homes, eats all the cookies, and then drops off 'presents'. Oh, and then he flies off in a sled pulled by magical reindeer accompanied by an extremely short man wearing a pointy hat. Does no one else find that even the slightest bit disturbing?"

London and Miranda looked at Gabby with uniform, vacant expressions. The engineer turned back to her own business and mouthed '_nevermind'_.

"—oh Tali come look at this!" Kasumi suddenly exclaimed, leaning over an open, clear glass container.

The Quarian walked over to look, her eyebrow arching behind her visor. "Are those…decals of some sort?"

"Yeah!" Kasumi said, wiggling with excitement. "They have various statements on them which gave me an idea: We could put a small one on the side of your helmet that says something memorable like: _Hot Mama_ or _I leave bite marks. _What do you think? It would certainly set you apart from all others. Possibly even catch the attention of a hunky man, eh?" she winked playfully.

Tali shook her head quickly, "I would hate to see the kind of man those slogans attracted. It's thoughtful of you but no thanks. I think I'll stick with my bracelet," she said softly, looking down and smiling as she observed how it jingled around her ankle.

Kasumi wrinkled her nose, "Mm, maybe you're right—Ooo," the thief suddenly gasped, "Tali…over there!" She pointed, finger stretched towards a tech store across the way. "I spy with my little eye…"

The Quarian cocked her head to the side in curiosity as she followed Kasumi into the shop. "What did you see?"

"This," Kasumi grinned wickedly, pointing to the product of her attention. "I know about these! I 'accidently' overheard a Quarian at Eternity on Illium talking about one of these with her Turian friend."

Tali turned to look at the small chip, bright eyes rounding when she realized what it was. "A nerve stimulation program for envirosuits?"

"Mhm." Kasumi sang as she poked and prodded, "She was saying nothing but _really_ _good_ things about it. Are ya' gonna get it?"

When Tali didn't answer right away Kasumi patted the quarian's back in satisfaction, "I'll let you think about it in private while I check to see what the others are looking at."

London walked around the clothing section with a certain executive officer always close behind, hands reaching out to explore the differing types of materials as they strolled and examined everything. "Do you see anything you like?" Miranda asked reaching into one of her suits well concealed pouches for her credit chit, watching London's face to see if anything interested her.

"Miranda, I have credits. I'm able to buy something on my own if I wish," the dancer responded with a smile.

The operative shook her head quickly, "I didn't mean to make it seem like you couldn't afford anything it's just I thought since…well we—" Lawson cut herself off, eyes narrowing and taking a deep breath to speak coherently. "Bloody hell, I just figured it would be a nice thing to do." The XO paused before speaking hesitantly and very quietly, "…I wish to purchase something for you."

London chuckled, loving the lighter, more awkward side of the serious executive officer, especially because it only became visible when they were together. She held onto Miranda's arm and tugged her along to keep walking, her thumb caressing the woman tenderly. "You're very sweet and the thought is very endearing, but no thank you."

Miranda sighed as she was pulled into another section of the store, the brunette suddenly turning into all smiles as she reached towards a chic, low cut top. "Okay," London exclaimed, "this you should get for _yourself_. Add a pair of jeans, boots, belt, and a woman's leather, fitted hover-cycle jacket, and you would give people strokes as you walked around the citadel. You have to get it!"

"Whatcha gonna buy?" Gabby asked, walking up casually to the pair. "Oh wow. Lawson, you should totally get that."

"I have no desire to give people strokes."

"Get what?" Kelly inquired as she made her way towards the small gathering of women.

"Who's having a stroke?" Kasumi then said as she butted in between everyone to look at the top. "Ooo I say go for it, Lawson! Since we're technically off the clock, I speak freely when I say you need more casual attire."

Miranda groaned as they all began to speak at once and excitedly, quietly sneaking away from the chattering group of women who fawned over the clothing piece and headed out to where Samara was silently reading. "May I sit here?"

The Justicar looked up from the glow of her omni-tool and offered a firm nod. "You may."

Lawson sat down onto the cushioned lounge chair with an appreciative sigh, enjoying at last some peace and quiet. "Thank you."

Samara observed the operative, "You do not wish to mingle with the others?"

"They're prattling on about clothing. I do enjoy shopping but now is not the time and I'd rather say focused on the mission coming up soon. So I'll just sit here for a moment. In your opinion is the tea here of decent quality?"

"It is a wise choice to make, Operative Lawson. And yes, the tea is exemplary." the matron asari answered with a sagely nod.

**xxxxxxx**

"Hey Kasumi, can I talk to you over here for a second?" London asked as she pointed towards a quiet little bench near a window that overlooked the surrounding atmosphere.

"Sure, what's up?"

When the pair of woman sat down London sighed softly, her fingers intertwining with each other as she placed her hands on her lap. "I have something that I need to ask you."

Kasumi watched London's face carefully and nodded, "What's the matter?"

"Does…Jacob know about me and Miranda?"

The thief looked out the window, "If he suspects anything it is most likely my fault, I'm sorry. Garrus and Shepard were busy with reviewing tonight's mission and figuring out the closest spot they could land the shuttle, so last night he wanted to go to Operative Lawson's office and review the layout of the Velvet Vault. He wanted to make sure everything was doubly in order and that I had an up to date blueprint of the resort for my omni-tool. It was already exceptionally late at night. Jacob, as sweet as he is, isn't known for knocking when he's in full blown mission mode. He becomes Mr. Get it done. I was worried that if he entered Lawson's office without notice and if you happened to be there…that…well you know. I told him that it would be best if he just stayed put for the night incase Miranda had company. I should have worded it differently but…he's a smart man and was able to put two and two together. He knew that Miranda fancied you, he just never figured out to what extent I think."

"While it would have been extremely awkward if he saw anything, why would it matter to him?"

Kasumi shook her head as small shoulders shrugged lightly, "We've talked before. He's always been completely honest with me. He won't speak much of his time with Miranda but I think the relationship ended with zero kind of closure from what I've heard. She never explained why she left." She paused. "I know he doesn't love her, I can see it in his eyes when he looks at me. He is very much in love with _me_, but I still think there were issues in _that_ relationship that could very well bring out old insecurities in him. I think a small talk with Miranda would ease all woes but he's said that she doesn't want to speak of a matter that's been long since behind them both. I can imagine she's more comfortable with the whole no closure thing because she was the one who did the breaking up."

London offered a half hearted grin, "I guess it's always rougher when you're on the other end of that stick. But it wasn't a bad thing in the end because he found you right?"

Kasumi nodded with a smug smile, "That's what _I_ say. But out of curiosities sake…how do you know if he knows? Has he told you any—"

"….L-London?"

Kasumi turned towards the unfamiliar voice, her eyebrows going up and jaw slightly slacking as she saw what had to have been, besides Jacob, one of the most attractive men she had ever seen. He was tall and tan with a lean build, soft hazel eyes and short, dirty blonde hair. His freshly shaved face only seemed to accentuate his masculine jaw. His attire was casual: a navy blue, fitted, zip up sweater, faded blue jeans, and brown work boots. The expensive brand names were not lost on the thief however and she instantly knew that this man was a man of wealth. He looked like he had just stepped out of a menswear catalogue for God's sake. "W-who is _that_ guy? Do you know him? And does he have a brother with strong resemblance?"

When she heard her name being called London turned her head quickly, strands of long, chestnut brown hair falling over her shoulders as the uplifted corners of her lips slowly began to fall. Her eyes rounded in disbelief as piercing gray spheres melted with bright hazel, their gazes stuck on each other and frozen in time. Every other voice around the dancer became indistinct, every passerby disappearing in mist. Her hands fell from her lap as she got up and turned her shaking body in the direction of the familiar voice. It was a ghost from her past, handsome and smiling just as she had remembered. "…Taylor?"

Kasumi's eyes widened. "Taylor?" she whispered through closed teeth, "Mr. I would have married and had his babies Taylor?"

But the sniper was already to far gone to answer, taking one shaky step after another until she found her head pressed against his chest as their arms entwined each other in a fierce hug. "Oh my God," he had said, resting his cheek on top of her head before pulling her back to soak in her features. He was taken back when he noticed the small tears that were threatening to fall down her cheeks. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she laughed at herself in embarrassment, quickly wiping her eyes before the moisture could fall. "It's just nice to see someone I know from home, I'm sorry!"

"Oh don't apologize!" He said, smiling as he brought her into another tight hug. "I can't believe it's you!"

**xxxxxxx**

Jacob called from behind the small barricade made of heavy, bright orange barrels, "Shepard, this is a damn stand still! We have five minutes left of play time, we're low on ammo—freakin' Vakarian is somewhere sniping, Legion is on our side sniping and I can't get Solus or Grunt in a clear shot!"

"Then let's at least draw Vakarian out. If this game is about to finish I refuse to end it and not get to whoop his ass at least once," John said, puffing heavily behind cover after dodging several bright yellow shots of paint from both Mordin and Grunt.

"How are we going to do that? He's perfectly hidden."

Shepard's team was _good_ and as their commander he couldn't have been prouder of them as a whole even if it was just a paintball game. But he wouldn't let Garrus be _that good_—inflated head and antennas be damned! What's a playful jest anyways_? _"Watch and learn," he said with a smirk. "Hey Vakarian, I noticed you haven't hit shit this entire time! Getting a little rusty in your old age?" he purposefully yelled loudly.

"I'm waiting for you to mess up, Shepard." Garrus threatened out from an indistinct direction, his voice echoing throughout the area. "It's all about getting the squad leader off the field first! Move an inch to your right. I dare you!"

John smiled widely and spoke quietly into his team-speak headset, "Legion, can you spot Garrus?"

"Surveying parameter, adjusting position based on vocal analysis. Investigation concludes that Specialist Vakarian is located in south west region of the arena. "

Jacob laughed after bursting a few rounds at Grunt, soon taking place behind his cover once more. "Isn't that cheating, Commander?"

"Naaaaah."

Kenneth clapped his hands and paced along the side lines much like an athletic coach, "That's it boys, keep them on their toes! Shepard, move your arse! Flanking maneuver!"

A bright blue shot came out of an unidentified location and hit Kenneth in his face mask. Again. He could have sworn there was more of his own team's paint on him than the opposing teams. "Point taken and shutting up now."

"Shepard Commander, enemy sniper is now in scope. Requesting permission to terminate." Legion said evenly.

Jacob eyed the commander, "He's using a _paintball_ gun, right?"

"Legion, what kind of rounds are you using?" Shepard asked quickly through his mic.

"We are using non-toxic spherical rounds made of blue gelatin; Contains water-soluble mineral oil, biodegradable."

"Terminate!"

Garrus yelled loudly upon seeing the blue paint spill across his mask, flipping his barricade over with a mighty thrust. "Floppy Krogan quads!" he cursed.

Mordin cocked his head to the side. "Eloquent."

"_And your time is up! Thank you for using the Gladitorium here on the Citadel and we look forward to seeing you soon." _

**xxxxxxx**

The brunette still looked stunned, her hands resting on his arms as she stared at him. "You—but…what are you doing here!"

Taylor laughed, "I could ask you the same thing! My God it's been what? Five years? Six? You look…you look gorgeous. And your hair! It's so long now!"

She nodded with a small grin, her hand reaching up and collecting the mass of her hair to toss it all over one shoulder, "I let it grow out. But forget about that! Look at _you_!"

His cheeks turned a soft shade of pink, "I grew up. But hey listen, um, what are you doing right now?"

"Actually I just got some—"

Taylor found his smile widening for no particular reason. "Let's grab lunch?" he asked quickly, surprised by even his own boldness. "I mean if you don't have plans already that is."

London shook her head, "Plans? Not exactly, no."

"Great! Let me just make a few calls and I'll clear the next hour off of my schedule. Is that alright with you?"

"I see we're very important now, hmm?"

The blonde man and shook his head with a smile, "I was just here on some quick business matters but I'll tell you all about that in a moment."

London nodded as he walked a few steps away to make his call. She turned around to Kasumi and quickly walked back. The thief was still staring in awe, "_That's_ Taylor?"

London laughed softly and nodded her head, "He was always handsome but he seems to have grown taller and… filled out in the last few years. He was a bit on the scrawny side when we were teens. I can't believe he's here," she continued slowly, voice in wonder. "I never thought I'd see him again."

Kasumi eyed the brunette carefully, "Are you going to go somewhere with him?"

"He asked me to go to lunch. We have the time off so it's not an issue, really. I don't know. I think I am?"

"…are you sure that's a good idea?"

London bit her lower lip, "He's a good guy, Kasumi. He is a very rare connection to my past. He knew my family and he was _genuinely_ good to us. Plus I think I owe it to him after just up and leaving. The least I could do is sit down and catch up…right?"

Kasumi nodded her head hesitantly, "I understand that…but sweetie, maybe you should tell Miranda?"

"There you are," the woman of topic said with a soft smile and offering a small thermos out towards the dancer, "I bring gifts of hot tea. After I tried it I absolutely had to bring you some. And tell me what?" she asked, looking back and forth between both women. "What happened? Oh God did Jack blow something up? Where's Shepard?"

London had opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted when Taylor came up from behind and put his hand on her shoulder. "Alright I officially have the next hour or two off," he said cheerfully, soon extending that same hand out towards the other two women. "Hi! I'm Taylor Eric Owens, it's a pleasure. Are you friends of London's?"

Kasumi took his hand to shake but couldn't take her eyes off Miranda the entire time, "I'm K…as..um— it's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance."

Taylor, while momentarily perplexed on the thief's introduction, soon extended the friendly gesture towards the beautiful raven haired woman, "Right. And you are?"

Miranda was looking at London but soon turned her attention towards the man whose name she remembered quite well, knowing who he used to be and what his connection to London was. She offered a magnificent but fake smile as she took his hand, the poise in her stature hard to not admire. "Miranda."

"Will you two be joining us for lunch?"

The operative's brow twitched ever so slightly.

"A man can't get anymore luckier than being in the company of three ridiculously beautiful women," Taylor said with an honest grin. "It'll be on me, I promise. Friends of hers are friends of mine."

Miranda shook her head, "I actually only have about half an hour left before I need to leave, so I think I should get some important things done. Thank you though," she said gracefully, turning to walk away after a polite wave goodbye.

Kasumi nodded her head, "What she said. It was nice meeting you!"

_Shit._

Taylor blinked in confusion as he watched the two women hurry off. London swallowed the dryness in her throat and held up a finger towards her old boyfriend, "Give me one minute. I'll be right back."

He nodded and watched as she too ran off and around the corner. Upon catching up to the operative London reached out to take hold of Miranda's hand and yanked her into the quiet corner of the hallway. "Miranda…"

"London." Miranda reprimanded, not approving at the way she had just been handled.

"I'm sorry. You just walked off so suddenly that I didn't have the chance to say anything."

"It's okay," the XO said indifferently, taking her hand back as gently as possible. "His presence was simply unexpected. But you go; I have things that need to be done before we leave for Omega."

London shook her head, "It was unexpected for _me_ too. It was the last thing I'd ever expect actually, but it's not okay. I can _see_ it's not okay," she continued, ducking her head to catch Miranda's eyes with her own. When the other woman did not answer, London changed tactics by molding her next statement into the form of a personal request, "Miranda, talk to me? Please? Are you upset with me for wanting to go?"

Words were not spoken in return. There were no words to speak.

"…Miranda?"

"What do you want me to say? Yes? No?" Miranda asked petulantly before averting her gaze and scoffing; a desperate puff of air that unsuccessfully dismissed the devastating and very unaccustomed sense of jealousy. The raven haired woman was annoyed with herself; at her inability to deal with her own feelings and put them into words. She was quiet for a long time, quite aware of what she must look like and hating every second of it.

The dancer was delicate in her approach, ensuring that when she spoke her tone was affectionate yet purposeful. "How about you say what you're feeling for starters?"

"I'd rather not." Miranda had inkling of what London was fishing for, and although the operative was aware that her own behavior might be a little _too_ defensive, she would be damned if she caved easily: it was not in her nature.

"Try."

London could see by the tense muscles in Miranda's body and her tightened jaw that she was getting to the XO. She didn't enjoy provoking Miranda like this, but the operative had a particular way of dealing with emotional issues, and since Lawson wouldn't speak freely about her insecurities she resorted to letting them burst out in painfully apathetic witticisms. That simply would not do. London knew that _pushing_ Miranda was the only way the woman was going to admit her doubts without feeling weak.

"_Try_, Miranda," she beseeched again.

"This," Miranda finally said, her shoulders shrugging noncommittally, "this situation is bringing out a most unbecoming side of me. It's pitiful and it's revolting and I will make it so it does not happen again. I apologize. He seems like a decent man if not handsome to be around. Please do go and have fun. I need to work."

"You will make it so it does not happen again? Are you serious?"

The cold look on Miranda's face did well to conceal the truer feelings within. And as she stood there determinedly, her lips did not part to give answer.

London looked at the woman in disbelief. "You are, _without a doubt_, the most stubborn person I've ever met in my entire life," London said firmly. She noticed Miranda flinch at this and starting to turn away from her, but she prevented the woman from doing so by catching her wrist and holding her chin to force Miranda to look in her eyes. "…and I will have you know that I would rather be no where else but beside you. I admire (_love_) everything from the bottom of your feet to the tippy top of those walls you build up around you. Complex but beautiful Miranda Lawson," London uttered truly, looking deep into the startled blue eyes that locked with her own.

They had taken so many steps backwards when London had decided to leave after Teagan's drop off. Now that the context of their relationship was clear and their steps had been moving forward… London _refused_ to go back. "Miranda," she begun again, softer this time, averting her gaze and looking to the tiled floor beneath them. It was easier to think this way; otherwise she'd just end up getting lost in cerulean. "…now that more time has passed I find that my feelings are changing. They're growing. And _despite_ your unbelievable stubbornness I'm in...I love…b-being here with you." She cleared her throat. "I love being here with you. (_Pansy! Why can't you just tell her!_)"

The executive officer was rendered speechless. The look in London's eyes filled the brunette's words with meaning, preventing the XO from doubting their shy truthfulness.

_Love_. The truth for _Miranda_, however, was Miranda knew next to nothing about love in this context. She knew about _unrequited_ love, yes. She knew about longing, yes, about pursuit and acts of bold pouncing, yes. She knew the feeling in her heart, feelings in her body; she knew the feel of London's lips and the sound of her laugh. But no, she knew nothing about love. Not this kind of love. Nothing of the hard work or life after the awkwardness and the excitement was gone. All her life Miranda had run from expressions like those; words which reflected profound emotions that she was sure she was incapable of feeling. But now that she had London in front of herself, declarations made of weight and worth pouring off the dancer's lips, everything Miranda had learned about herself was being put to doubt.

The brunette moved her hands to catch Miranda's and brought the operative's trembling arms to encircle London's waist. "I do not hesitate when I say that this is were I want to be," the dancer whispered, giving Miranda a little more reassurance as she watched the turmoil going on in the raven haired woman's eyes. "So come with us to eat," the dancer asked eagerly, "I have no problems introducing you as my good half," she teased, a hand coming up caress the side of the operatives face. "I really don't. He was my first love and only friend. I think I just owe him a sense of closure and now is the time to do it. After today who knows where we'll end up, right? I mean out of all the planets and cities to be in…we're both here _now_. It's the chance I need to tie up an old loose end. So come with us. Come with _me_."

Miranda tilted her head as she looked away, refusing to let any signs of defenselessness show. "You should talk alone. It's been a long time since you've seen each other and I'm sure you'll have a lot to talk about. Besides …you might get lucky and find out that maybe there's still a spark between you two. I think you owe it to yourself to find someone without so many—"

"Have you not heard a word I've said?" London furrowed her brows deeply before putting a hand at the nape of Lawson's neck and pulling her in dominantly, both pairs of lips crashing into each other. It was hungry and tender, desperate and patient, bashful and brave; a frightening yet comforting kiss delivered languidly to Miranda's already swelling lips. "I'm _already_ lucky," she said, releasing the half lidded XO from her grasp. "You're perfect—no pun on genetics intended."

Miranda involuntarily chuckled, leaning her forehead against the other woman's and sighing. Her breath was sweet against the dancer's lips and London found her world spinning. "Perfect? From the way I'm acting I'd say I'm far from it. I'm sorry," Lawson said gently exhaling, voice lowing to a whisper. "I'm so sorry. I suppose I just wanted to be the first to take you out. I was being rude and childish and green is not a good color on me. Now really _please_ go and enjoy your lunch before I make a bigger fool of myself."

London pressed her lips against Miranda's forehead then the tip of her nose before giving her a tender smile. "You wanted to take me out for lunch?"

"Perhaps not for _food_, but why wouldn't I want to take you out at all? Of course I do." Miranda never understood the dinner and lunch dates. Chewing was supposed to be attractive? And how could one feel charming if there was that possibility of food being stuck in one's teeth? Or soup dribbled down one's front? (Not that Miranda had table manners where this might happen. But others did and these people were looking for love and trying to find it over food. This confused her.) Food and love together just never made sense to Miranda. But she knew that somehow food played a vital role in relationships. And that is why (secretly) she wished she were a better cook. It seemed appropriate given the more…enclosed setting of the Normandy. There was something wonderful, though, in the depths of her fantasies about cooking for two when she was so used to reheating or requesting for one. "I told you that I wished to do this properly with you, but between my job as second in command and keeping paper work and data pads from spilling out of the Normandy's window's…there's just no time to indulge in such fantasies."

"Why Ms. Lawson," London whispered seductively, a playful twinkle in her eye. "I had no idea you were such the old fashioned romantic. I don't think I've ever been courted before."

Miranda frowned, a serious look on her face as she opened her mouth to speak. But London placed a finger up to the other woman's lips and pressed lightly. "The very fact that you want to do something of the sort is enough for me. Maybe one day we'll get that chance. Till then how about you answer a small question for me instead?"

The operative raised a brow, "What would that question be?"

"That perhaps you were a little jealous because you might lo—like being here with me too?" London prayed the woman would not notice her tiny word slip.

Miranda gave the woman an unenthusiastic and unimpressed look, picking up small pieces of her crumbling resolution along the way as she pointed a finger to tell the sniper to go to lunch. "I'm not giving you the satisfaction of that answer with you knowing full well what my response would be."

Oh thank God. Miracles do happen and she didn't seem to note anything.

"Would it hurt to spoil me?" the dancer teased. She was so relieved to be once again indulging in this kind of banter with Miranda; it assured her that they were getting past their little tiff.

Lawson rolled her eyes and gently pushed the brunette away to walk off, hips swaying alluringly and only for the brunette's pleasure as she raised the thermos up in her hand, "If you're going for lunch then I'm drinking all of your tea— and keeping the thermos for _myself_."

The dancer laughed as she watched, "I know you wouldn't be so horrible as to not let me _at least_ have a taste before going? You couldn't be that cruel to me. You've said such wonderful things about it. How could I not be interested?"

Miranda gave the woman an exasperated sigh, the playful smile never leaving her lips as she walked back. They stared at each other before Miranda flipped the lid on the thermos. London waited expectedly, fully thinking the XO would hand her the drink.

Nope.

London watched as Miranda lifted the cup to her own lips, eyes closing as she placed the liquid in her mouth and allowed a bit to stay on her lips. The operative then leaned into the other woman and offered the tenderest of kisses, giving her exactly what the dancer had requested—a taste.

A warm twitch in the dancer's core made London shift from side to side uncomfortably and the Normandy's second in command smiled victoriously as she turned around and once again walked away.

"Miranda?"

The XO stopped and turned to face the brunette once more, "Mm? Now what? You've already gotten your taste and will not be getting another."

Both gray eyes studied the woman for a mere second. "Do you trust me?"

Miranda paused.

"…I…I do. Besides, I seem to have forgotten that no matter how handsome _he_ is…they don't make them like they've made _me_," she quipped with a nod and wink. "So I think you know what you'd be missing." Miranda grinned as she turned once more, disappearing into a crowd of people to leave the widely smiling London alone with her thoughts.

**xxxxxxx**

"So how's your family?"

"They're great," the dancer smoothly lied after swallowing her food politely, "Teagan just got into a good school. How about you, is your mother well?"

"Oh she's happy as can be. I was recently able to buy her a house near the coast on Watson. She's always loved the tides there."

London smiled softly, "You must be doing really well for yourself then. I'm glad."

"It's nothing really. I just own a few farm lands on our garden world and a private supply company that stocks most of the restaurants here with some of their levo-amino food goods."

"That's impressive."

"Eh," he shrugged, "it pays the bills. But what about you, what do you do?"

_Oh you know, the normal: I was a stripper. _"Nothing solid at this moment," she lied yet again, "I'm mostly doing freelance work here and there. I'm about to head off to meet with a client later on."

"Where's the meeting at? If it's around here I could give you a ride in my skycar if you'd like?"

She shook her head, "Thank you but no, it's actually at Omega."

Taylor scrunched his nose, "Omega? A little dangerous don't you think? Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?"

"I'll be fine. I won't be alone so there's no need to worry. But enough about work. You have to tell me because you know I'm curious," she said, gracefully changing the topic, "how many kids do you have so far? I know you've always wanted a big family. Who's the lucky girl?"

The blonde laughed and shook his head at the unusual question, lifting the back of his left hand in the air and wiggling his ring finger. "It's a little hard to come by children when you don't have a wife to help make them."

"I'm surprised," London said through a wide grin, "I would have thought the girls would have ripped you apart after I..."

"After you left?" Taylor brought his gaze down to the table. "I did have offers but I just wasn't interested. I wasn't interested in anyone for about two years after that to be honest. It proved difficult getting over the girl you pretty much dated your entire life," he laughed half heartedly.

"I…"

He held his hands up to stop her, "You don't have to explain. We were kids and we did what our family needed us to do. I think we're both old enough to know that explanations are a thing of the past and no longer needed. I'm just glad to see that you and your family are doing just fine."

"Thank you," she said softly, "I appreciate that. But I just wanted you to know that…I _had_ to go. It was family business and it was really just the best thing for everyone. It was spur of the moment and I wouldn't have known what to tell you even if I had the chance to do so."

He nodded, "I understand that there must have been a lot of pressure. I know your father's work had him being dragged all over the system."

She frowned, knowing that Taylor had no clue as to what her father really did for a living. She looked down into her hands and at the way her fingers nervously twiddled. "Yeah…"

"But just so you know," he added with a sad smile, "I meant what I told you when we were kids. I would have asked you to really marry me eventually."

London nodded her head, hands now clasping each other tightly. "…and I would have said yes."

The pair sat at their table in silence until a gentle laugh left the blonde's lips, "Do you remember how I proposed when we were smaller?"

"You didn't really propose the idea. You just kind of made it so."

Taylor grinned, "So do you remember?"

London couldn't help but laugh in return, "I do. We were in the little play house my father had made for me. I was playing the ever faithful girlfriend and you the hard working boyfriend. That afternoon I was preparing twigs and leaves for lunch on my play stove—"

"—and mud pies."

The brunette laughed again, "Of course, _how_ could I forget the mud pies. Okay, I was preparing twigs, leaves, and mud pies for lunch when you burst through the houses' door declaring you had just gotten a new job, a better job."

"I became leader of the known universe, yes. It was a _great_ day."

London smiled a big, beautiful smile as she shook her head, "And of course me being the supportive girl I was, was so happy for you…"

"Well of course you were! You knew your man was going to bring home something extra cool to cook on your stove!"

"What was it that you brought again?"

"Tree bark and rocks," he said flatly.

"You were _so_ cool," London said rolling her eyes.

Taylor looked onto the woman and smiled. "Then what happened," he urged.

London's smile fell, "My parents had gotten into a fight. They didn't fight often but when they did it was pretty bad, lots of yelling and harsh words. We could hear them even from the outside that afternoon. I started to cry and…you took me by the hand, sat me inside our play home, and shut the little door. You turned on the music program that your dad gave you for your birthday so I couldn't hear them yelling so much and promised me that you would never yell at me like that when we grew up. You promised me that you would never let anyone hurt me and that you would protect me—even from the monsters under our beds."

Taylor flexed, "I was such a badass."

London chuckled, "That's when you said that we would no longer play boyfriend and girlfriend but that we would now start playing '_happy_ husband and wife'. You said that when you got home you would check to see how much was in your piggy bank and then go to buy me a gem that was blue like the moons of Watson because sixteen credits _had_ to be enough."

"Yeah by the way… I _did_ go…and it was _so_ not enough. I had to go home and make that stupid little plastic ring. I was so pissed. I mean you wore it even all through high school but still…"

The brunette shook her head, "It wasn't stupid. After you made me that ring I became infatuated with jewelry crafting. I got pretty good at it too."

Taylor rolled his eyes, "I know. You gave like seven hundred bracelets to my sister when we were smaller. My skycar had them all over the back seat!"

London laughed, "I'm sorry about that, truly. How is your sister?"

"Oh she's great. She was a little sad about sending her kid off to some fancy school for bright children recently, but she's hanging in there. Heaven forbid your child be smart, right?"

"She has a kid?"

"Yeah, a little boy named Jimmy."

The brunette froze before grinning widely, her hand reaching up to cover her eyes as a soft laugh escaped her lips. Taylor looked at sudden outburst with a raised brow, his own smile forming as he leaned over. "What's so funny?"

"Is Jimmy around the age of seven through ten by any chance?"

"He's seven about to turn eight. Why?"

"Oh nothing, I just have this hunch that he and my sister are probably good friends."

Taylor smiled, "If they really are at the same school then it's inevitable. They're doomed to spend their entire adolescence together."

London tried to smile once more but her lower lip ended up quivering for the briefest of moments instead. "We were inseparable, weren't we? You were my best friend. If I was sad you made me feel better. I was never lonely because you were always there."

Taylor nodded as he thought back, "We sure were. Side by side from the age of six all the way up to when you turned twenty and I turned twenty one; double trouble the whole way. But your parents liked us together and we managed to have a lot of good times."

"We did, didn't we?" A loud beep suddenly rang from London's omni-tool, starling the two out of the memory. She closed her eyes and sighed as she turned it off, "That's my fifteen minute reminder…I have to go to work."

He nodded his head sadly and stood from his chair, walking over to her and taking the woman into his arms before looking at her. Something in her eyes made him uneasy, like she was trying to tell him something that she didn't want to say. Taylor ran his thumb over her cheek as he cupped her face, "I've always been good at reading you, London. That hasn't changed. You can say it."

When the dancer wouldn't reply Taylor's eyebrows narrowed in both frustration and sorrow, "…I'm probably never going to see you again am I?"

London placed her hand over his and leaned into his touch, tears suddenly falling down her cheeks as her head shook faintly from side to side.

He brought his hand to slide down to her chin, tiling her face up towards him as he leaned in to ever so gently press his lips against hers. London closed her eyes and allowed him to kiss her but not daring to return it, a final goodbye after a lifetime of happy memories with her one and only childhood friend and love.

**xxxxxxx**

**3PM**

**Citadel Docks**

**5 hours till infiltration**

"I assume everyone has made the most of their short time off and are now ready to go?" Shepard asked as he eyed his smiling team. "Good. Everyone get back onto the Normandy. We have a lot of work to do. Lawson, O'Conner, and Jack make sure all your clothes and equipment are ready to go. We're discharging, fueling up, restocking on probes, then hitting the mass relay and will be docked at Omega within the next two hours. Flex should be there by then to oversee the club management."

"Yes Sir."

**xxxxxxx**

**3:30PM**

**Miranda's Office**

_It hurts greatly when you lose one that you care for, no matter the context of the relationship. The deep pain that is felt at the loss of every friendly soul arises from the feeling that there is, in every individual, something which is indescribable, peculiar to him or her alone, and is, therefore, absolutely and irretrievably lost. It is this loss that we suffer and must grieve for._

Miranda had been lying down and working from her bed, legs crossed at the ankle and her omni-tool shining brightly on her arm as she worked the holographic projector in front of her face. She quietly reviewed the resorts layout, memorizing every important detail of both map and mission that she could cram into her mind. It was only when London had entered her quarters unannounced that she put the display away and offered a smile upon seeing the dancer be sure to lock the door. The brunette looked saddened however and Miranda found her smile beginning to grow fainter. "London? What's the matter? Did everything go okay?"

The dancer said nothing as she crawled into bed with the other woman, placing herself at Miranda's side and burying her face into the other woman's neck. Miranda could feel a warm wetness along her throat as London's arm wrapped desperately around Lawson's stomach. The operative in turn wrapped her arm around the brunette's shoulders and held tightly, whispering calm coos of encouragement into London's ear in attempt to halt the tears. "Shh, it's okay," she would repeat softly, slowly running her free hand up and down London's arm. "Have you gathered your things for when we dock at Omega?" Miranda asked delicately.

London only nodded into the other woman's neck and tightened her hold around Lawson's center. Miranda tilted her head to kiss above London's brow, commanding the lights in her room to lower to a dim setting. "Would you like to nap while we hit the relay? I'll wake you when we arrive?"

London sniffed, swallowing the lump in her throat as she shook her head and looked deeply into Miranda's eyes. "No, it's alright. I just need to be here right now…with you." She didn't want to think of Taylor anymore, didn't want to think of everything and everyone else she had lost. The culmination of it all was beginning to become too much to shoulder alone. The dark past was a deep hurt that needed to be mended through the possibility of having a bright future full of opportunity and love.

Miranda reacted to her words unexpectedly; the XO's body stiffened, brow furrowing and eyes looking away, making London feel insecure about the statement she just made. Was she coming off as too clingy? The dancer didn't think she could take both saying goodbye to her only friend and being rejected by the woman she was beginning to fall in love with. The woman she _was_ in love with.

London instantly propped herself up on an elbow to be able to maintain looking into the operative's eyes, her own orbs begging for just once to receive a straight forward answer. "You don't mind if I'm here…do you?"

"Of course I don't," Miranda replied quickly, turning to look back at the sniper.

The brunette shook her head as if not understanding, "…yet you don't look very comfortable."

"I'm not _un_comfortable," Miranda said decisively. "I'm just still not used to this," she clarified in a quieter voice, averting her eyes away from London's yet again.

"I thought you didn't mind being with another woman," the dancer said quietly, a trickle of fear sneaking into her mind. Perhaps it was too early for a relationship after all. Maybe a same sex partnership is not what the XO was looking for.

Miranda, as if seemingly able to read the brunette's mind, shook her head quickly. "I didn't mean _that_."

She had never given her being in a same sex relationship much thought to be honest. Why would she, it didn't bother her. In her mind, she was not gay and did not identify as a lesbian. Her situation was different. When dubbing yourself as homosexual, it showed a preference towards others of your own sex. This was not Miranda's case at all. She merely preferred London to everyone else. True, London was female. But if the dancer suddenly woke up male one morning, it would not change the attraction that Miranda felt for her. London would be beautiful male or female. Miranda was drawn to the essence of her, what burned behind her eyes, her curiosity, and her sense of loyalty and justice. But being gay was not something Miranda thought a lot about in regards to herself. She simply wanted to be with London and that was that.

"Then what is it?" London bit her lip. Uncertainty and timidity underlined each word as the dancer pressed herself slightly harder into the operative's side, hoping as if it would somehow press the woman to speak honestly.

"…what I'm not used too is having someone look at me the way you do," Miranda revealed quietly, her tongue coming out to wet her lips in a nervous gesture and her eyes still not meeting London's.

"And how is that?" the dancer inquired softly, knowing that the raven haired beauty was not forthcoming about her feelings, but sensing that this was a good moment to try to push her to talk about them.

"Like," the XO trailed off, shrugging her shoulders, not knowing exactly how to describe it. "Like you need me (_like you love me_)," she finally said, glancing at London to study her reaction. The feelings Miranda held for her girlfriend, it transcended the sex, the gender, and the physical appearance of London. But these emotions left the operative open to feeling vulnerable: not a good thing in her line of business. The way London would look at her unnerved and excited the operative. She wasn't quite sure of what to make of it or how to handle it. It scared her.

Noticing that the brunette had a reassuring expression on her face, Miranda continued. "Like you need _me_ and not just the services I'm able to provide in helping find your sister's buyer. Like you don't care what I look like, or if I'm wealthy, or that I'm an executive officer with connections," she clarified, this time meeting London's gaze full on to convey the importance of her words. "I think it was Jack that said that everyone is out for something, so that makes everything fair game (_my heart included_). She's right, you know. I've never met a person that didn't need or want something from me."

"It's not the connections or the credits I'm after. I do want and need something…but it's _you_, Miranda. I don't think I would have made it passed these last few weeks without you," London said softly as relief washed over her body. She tucked a lock of black hair behind the operative's ear. "I need the woman, not just the executive commander that is part of the woman," the brunette said seriously. "Because let's face it," she added to lighten the mood that was becoming a little too heavy for the XO to handle. "If it weren't for the woman inside of you, I don't know if I'd be able to handle the second in command. She can be a real pain when she's being stubborn," London said chuckling, lowering her head to kiss Miranda's temple.

"That's not called being _a pain_, Specialist O'Conner. It's called being assertive. Someone needs to get the job done." the XO said matter-of-factly.

The brunette sighed at Miranda's predictable reply but still leaned in to kiss the lips that teased her, no more than an inch away from her own. Lawson smiled into the gesture, wrapping both arms around the other woman's neck and bringing the woman down until London's body was flushed against her own. Miranda loved to kiss London; never before had the operative enjoyed the simple action of sharing this with someone so much.

London groaned happily, finding herself without strength to battle the yearning she felt for the operative; the need to give herself to Miranda and take Miranda in return was great: a burning desire to feel her skin, to lay claim to her body with, lips, fingers, and tongue.

Miranda could see the intensity in London's eyes and was left speechless, her own heart swelling as she felt a giddy heat in her lower abdomen. The operative had never felt that for anyone; she thought of romance as a weakness, a distraction that took away from more important things that needed to be done; but slowly, Miranda was becoming aware that the rewards just might be worth the vulnerability. London still wanted her despite her cold exterior and her inability to express herself… and just maybe it was time to give in?

The sniper unbuttoned a few buttons and pulled down on the zipper of Miranda work attire, trying to get it off the operative's body. London broke the kiss to look into Lawson's eyes, not so much asking for permission as to inform her first of the brunette's intentions. In response, Miranda pushed the dancer gently off of her and got to her knees. She was hesitant when grabbing the black fabric of her uniform, her mind constantly battling her sex's ache as she pulled the tight material down her shoulders.

While Miranda had been working on squeaking her torso free of its tight restrictions, London had given her back towards the operative to sit on the edge of the bed and remove her shoes. When she turned around she not only saw Miranda's upper body free of uniform but that she was also sitting on the opposite edge of the bed, taking off her boots too. London smiled to herself and crawled across the large mattress towards her. Once she got behind her, London got on her knees and started to place strategic kisses along the other woman's neck and shoulders.

Feeling this, Miranda smirked and busied herself with undoing her belt. By the time she let the belt fall on the floor, London had well caused the entirety of Miranda's skin to break out in goose bumps. The operative turned around and got her knees as well so that she could be face to face with the other. London smiled, searching Lawson's eyes. She saw no discomfort but found a hint of indecision instead. London chose to push a little bit further, grabbing the rim of her tank top and pulling it up and off, soon observing afterwards that Miranda couldn't remove her blue eyes from the brunette's torso.

But then something in Miranda's eyes changed. "Wait," the operative said suddenly, her hands darting to London's to put a stop to the brunette from undressing further. "We should stop," she said regretfully, turning around from the other and sitting in the middle of the bed with her legs bent beneath her. The XO felt the bed shift as London got off of the mattress and heard the signature sound of the dancer fumbling with both belt and jeans.

Miranda closed her eyes. The sniper was certainly not pleased with her reaction and was probably putting everything back on. The operative was prepared to hear London's irritated voice any minute now, but instead she felt London's weight dip the bed and getting near her. A shock went through her frame when she felt skin touch her own back. Miranda looked down to see London's hands caressing the length of her own arms. Her breath was caught in her chest and her heart was beating wildly as she felt the dancer move closer. Miranda's eyes widened upon seeing London's thighs trapping her between them and then closed tightly when she felt the brunette's obviously bare upper body meld with her back.

"God, London," Miranda shakily breathed out, eyes still closed. "Are you naked?"

"No," London replied with an adorable chuckle, hugging Miranda tight against her. "I have my panties on," she whispered into Lawson's ear, making the raven haired woman shudder.

Miranda was powerless, weak in the knees and knowing there was absolutely nothing she could do to change London's current state of dress. She exhaled deeply while she let her head fall back on London's shoulder, her hands caressing the arms that held her stomach. "You are insane," she said softly, the smirk on her lips making certain that the words packed no sting.

"I'm not insane," London uttered, holding Miranda firmly. "I just want you to know that I'm not afraid of you touching me," she explained.

"And you had to get your clothes off to get your point across, did you?" Miranda asked with a perfect brow perked.

"Yes," the brunette answered matter-of-factly, making Lawson chuckle. After a few moments though, her amusement died down and London could feel the operative's breathing increase. The brunette took Miranda's hands in hers and guided them to her own thighs, encouraging the XO to caress her tanned skin. "You think I don't notice the fear in your eyes when we become intimate? It's not just because we're taking it slowly. You're scared of hurting me."

"London…"

"I know you've seen the reports on my internal scarring, the outcome of my working at The Afterlife."

Miranda looked down onto the bed sheets and nodded her head. She could not deny what she saw, the extent of which they hurt the dancer. She had been terrified of being added to the record of those who committed the offense. Miranda knew a lot of things. Making love to a woman was not on that long list. What if she did something wrong? What if a simple slip of the hand or a rough touch hurt the brunette more?

"I'm not a doll, Miranda," London said soothingly, holding onto the pair of hands that were stalled at her thighs while she placed tender kisses to Miranda's left shoulder. She let her lips travel up the other's neck, enjoying the soft sighs escaping the operative's mouth. When she felt Miranda's nails dig slightly into her skin, the brunette gently sucked on the operative's pulse point. "I will not break if you touch me. I _promise_ you that I will not break. But I cannot put truth to my words if you do not _try_. _I_ am not afraid of your touch so I don't want _you_ to fear touching me."

Lawson bit her lower lip, mind going a thousand miles per second before swallowing her hesitation then opening her lips to speak. "Will you…guide me?"

"We'll start slowly. Just enjoy yourself. Acquaint yourself with me." The moment her hands were led to caress the brunette's muscled and soft thighs, Miranda felt a jolt of desire running through her. London could cause this feeling in her without much effort, but what fascinated her was that London could put her enough at ease for her to actually enjoy this feeling. Just moments ago she was scared to death of messing up and hurting the dancer. But now, after a very bold move from the sniper and the reassurance of her arms surrounding her, the desire to feel and be close to London was so much greater than the fear. The risks were always present on her mind, but she trusted London; she trusted the brunette to guide her actions.

After making sure Miranda would continue to caress her thighs on her own, London resumed with kissing the operative's shoulder and neck, applying a gracious amount of attention on the pulse point that made the XO's body quake. Miranda moaned at the sensation that London's lips were evoking. The Australian moved one hand to the back of London's neck and turned her head to kiss the dancer.

There was no shy hesitation in this kiss, no slow beginnings. It burned with passion, with hunger even before their lips touched. Their tongues danced as their hands became brave. Miranda found herself pressing back against the dancer's frame, completely overwhelmed and desperately clinging to any form of restraint she had left in her body. London's hands slid down the woman's sides and grazed Miranda's breasts. Lawson whimpered and moved into the touch, pulling the brunette closer. She was too far away, as if miles lay in between. London blazed a slow trail of kisses down Miranda's neck as the XO's hands fell, landing on London's firm thighs and caressing anew. She faintly felt London's fingers working on the rest of her uniform's buttons and zipper but she couldn't wait any longer to turn around in the dancer's arms. Miranda stopped the fervent kiss and moved to turn; placing small kisses on London's lips all the time, unable to force herself to put that much distance between them.

The sight of London's gorgeous body kneeling in front of her took Miranda's breath away. By removing her clothes, London was not only telling her that Miranda could touch her freely, without apprehension, but was also committing herself to the operative; showing her that she wasn't giving up on the first obstacle. The dancer wanted to make sure Miranda knew that she was baring herself without fears.

Miranda extended her hand as if to touch London's bare skin but stopped, her insecurities about hurting the woman beginning to overpower her bravery.

"It's okay," London whispered positively, knocking away all fears with the tenderness in her voice. "Just go slowly. I want you to do what you feel."

What Miranda wanted was to explore. She couldn't help the faint rose color that appeared on her cheeks, biting her lip while she rested one hand on London's thigh and raised the other to trace gentle patterns along the brunette's chest. She let her fingers slide down to London's breasts, tracing the right swell and daring to let one finger glide across the small, hardened tip, making the brunette inhale sharply. London tried to remember to breathe, to hold some semblance of control. A glance at the dancer's encouraging eyes gave Miranda the confidence to keep going with her explorations. She turned her attention to London's other breast and a short stream of words said in a language not known by the operative flooded out in a hushed pant from the dancer's mouth. Miranda raised a brow in genuine curiosity. At her current state of undress she did not have her translator on. "What was that?"

London bit her lip as her chest heaved up and down seductively. She was unaware of what Miranda was even speaking of. "Pardon?"

A tilt came to the operative's head, "You said something in a foreign dialect. It was not a language that I myself am fluent in. What was it?"

"And how many languages do you know, exactly?"

"A few," the operative replied smugly. "But don't change the subject. I'm curious as to what dialect it was. It was beautiful, no matter the circumstances under which it was said," she winked.

A red tint kissed the brunette's cheeks. "I wasn't aware I was even doing so, my apologies. My mother was earthborn. Born in Old Madrid but was moved as a child to New Andorra with her family. Andorra has still managed to keep their culture and language alive so I grew up hearing and learning Euskara and proper Spanish from her on Watson. Euskara is still a fairly rare language, not many humans speak it as it's only pertinent to Andorra now and to the Basque ethnicity." A small grin formed on her lips, "My mother taught me culture and language and my father taught me how to cuss like a drunken Irishman."

Miranda looked the woman over in wonder, making a mental note to update her omni-tool's glossaries and linguistic rules. "I had no idea. So…you still have family out there on your mother's side?"

There was a compliant albeit indifferent shrug. "In technicality yes, I do. I know I have a grandmother and grandfather, two uncles, and three aunts out there though I've never met them. My mother's family was well known in Andorra. They owned majority of the shops and even a few of the restaurants. My grandfather didn't approve of her marrying my 'lowly' father. They told her that if she left with him to never bother to go back. She left and there's been no contact sense. My father was a shame in their eyes. I can only imagine what they'd think of me, the 'product' of their shameless love."

Miranda brought her hand up to trail its fingers along the length of London's collarbone. She smiled sorrowfully as she spoke, her words coming out tenderly. "There's still so much we don't know about each other, isn't there?"

London gasped as Miranda's hands once more became bold and continued to explore. Her lids fell to a half hood as she stumbled over her words, "W-what else would you like to know?"

"Oh you know…other _things_." Her fingertip moved, trailing down the valley of London's breasts, past the flat of her abdomen, then looping at her belly button and racing along the length of her ribs. Small bumps formed across the dancer's body and Miranda couldn't help but appreciate and be relieved by the fact that London was so responsive to even the smallest of her touches.

"L-Like what? Would you like to know if I have lucky socks? A favorite book, perhaps? F-food allergies? Why I dislike fizzy drinks?"

The operative moved the hand from London's thigh up to comb her fingers through the brunette's loosely curled locks. She gazed for a moment into those gray eyes with a smile on her lips. "For now I'd just like to know why you're not kissing me."

London inched closer to the other, never taking her intense gaze away. The brunette extended her arm to pull down the covers while placing her free hand on Miranda's side, pushing the XO to lie on the mattress. Miranda gave into the woman's silent request, never taking her eyes off London's body, watching the way the dimmed lights played against her skin, a desire burning brighter and brighter within her.

When she rested her head back on the pillow, Miranda brought her hands up to pull London down on top of her by the back of the brunette's neck. "London," the operative breathed out onto the other's lips, arching her back and pressing her body up into the dancer's nearly naked one, loving the way London's bare skin felt against her own almost bare torso. Miranda buried her hands into the long hair and captured the brunette's lips with her own. She kissed London deeply and opened her legs to accommodate the body between them more comfortably.

The moment London got into the position she flushed their pelvises together and grinded her hips forward and upward in an achingly slow and deeply swooped motion, her fluid movements making the operative moan obscenely loudly and squeeze the dancer tightly with her long, toned legs. Miranda took advantage of her position and rolled the brunette on her back, ending up on top and straddling. She sat up on London's hips, mesmerized by the brunette's naked torso, her hands sliding down London's stomach at the same time London moved her hands to stroke up Miranda's thighs.

"Like the top do we?" London's question was playful yet excited as she brought her hands to rest over her head and against the mattress, her chest lifting and falling deeply with her considerably intensified breathing.

The XO moved her warm hands back upwards saying nothing, exploring and feeling London's abdominal muscles jump beneath her ministrations. The operative paused with her hands just underneath the sniper's round breasts. Miranda glanced up at London's face, watching the brunette looking at her encouragingly with half closed eyes. Lawson lowered herself to London and kissed her lips lustfully while moving her hands to gently, yet firmly, cup the weight of dancer's breasts and knead. She was rewarded with a sensual moan coming from the pleased woman beneath her as she tested differing pressures and speeds, ways in which to let her fingers glide over the hardened tips.

London couldn't take it anymore; she had to feel more of Miranda's skin on hers. The trail of wet kisses Miranda was leaving on her neck mixed with the still exploring hands around her chest made it hard for the dancer to complete a coherent sentence, "Off," she said throatily, tugging at both Miranda's bra and the uniform that still clung to Miranda's lower half.

Miranda complied quickly, rolling off the other to wiggle her way out of the remainder of her outfit before slithering back to her position on top of the brunette. London sat up while Miranda straddled her, her hands playing with the lace of the XO's panties before trailing up the operative's back and making quick work of the woman's bra clasp. London let out a surprised puff when the material came off and freed the raven haired beauty's slightly larger breasts, the sight making her heart skip inside her chest.

"You're beautiful," London said almost inaudibly as she flipped them over gently, laying the XO back down in bed. The brunette let one of her legs slide snugly between Miranda, rousing a contented sigh out of the woman's lips. London was attentive, holding herself up with one elbow and letting her other hand explore Miranda's body. She let the pads of her fingers make small, teasing circles across Lawson's stomach, hearing the operative whimper softly. She had a long, thin scar in the middle of her abdomen. It was the mark of what she had endured to keep London safe. "Miranda," London breathed lovingly. It was the only word that came to mind as she leaned in to press her lips against the scarred tissue, still slightly whiter against the operative's already milky skin.

Miranda watched London's affectionate display and ran her hand through the sniper's hair. "It'll go away eventually with the ointment I took from—_Oh_" She bit her lower lip harshly to keep from screaming out.

London traced the length of the scar with her lips as she let her nimble fingers go lower, sliding the tip of her index underneath the hem of Miranda's panties. She let the bold touch trace along under the hem until it reached the XO's hip bone, soon flattening her hand to caress up Miranda's side.

The executive officer was shivering under such soft touches. London's hand came to a stop on Miranda's side when she suddenly looked up into Miranda's eyes with a smile. Lawson saw the brunette's tongue come out to wet her lips before the dancer lowered her head without taking her eyes off of the other and took the nipple of Miranda's breast between her supple lips.

The XO instantly arched her back and gasped, trying to get herself closer (_always closer_) to the brunette, her left leg rising to curl over London's hip, moaning when she felt London's hand leave her side and move to grasp her thigh.

Miranda cried out when she felt the sniper's tongue trace circles only to then suck the tender tip slowly into her hot mouth. When the friction of teeth, lips, and tongue became unbearable, the dancer would pull back and blow cool air onto the sweltering mound, a whole new level of pleasure that threatened to curl the operative's toes. London was overjoyed; she could barely believe that she had Miranda trembling under her. The sounds coming from the XO's mouth only fueling her need for the woman.

The brunette moved lower, tracing her tongue across the operative's chest to give the same treatment to the woman's other breast. She then shifted fully in between Mirada's legs and started a trail of unhurried, open mouthed kisses down the XO's abdomen, listening as each kiss provoked a moan or sigh from the woman below her. London let her hands proceed in front of her mouth, caressing down Miranda's sides, sliding them over her groin, gently meandering the inside of her thighs as she kissed the space between Lawson's navel and the rim of her panties.

Miranda was both quaking and writhing beneath the expert touches, a closed fist brought to her mouth as she bit down onto her knuckles lightly. But just as she thought her heart would explode from such ministrations, the warm touch and kisses on her body were gone. The operative opened her eyes to a half lid, looking up to find a gently smiling London sitting on her knees between the XO's legs. "W-what are you doing?" she asked, voice husky from the exhilaration she had just experienced.

"I'm easing us into this: Comfort and exploration first, making love second."

"W-what?" Miranda asked, her chest still rising and falling as she gazed onto the other. "You mean we're not going to…?"

London shook her head. "Not yet. I want you to be one hundred percent comfortable with me, my body, and the way my body feels against yours. Little by little, okay?"

The operative whimpered as she folded her arms over her eyes momentarily, she didn't know if she wanted to scream in frustration, cry in relief, or cry _for_ relief. "I'm comfortable!"

The dancer quirked her brows as a teasing smirk forming on the corner of her mouth. This was certainly a new side to Miranda. "Is that so?"

There was an unmistakable and powerful ache between the operative's legs. She lowered her arms and looked in the other woman's eyes. "I can't just be ramped up like that then…t-then—"

London's smile only grew much to Miranda's irritation. "Why are you smirking—take that grin off your face! It's not funny," she said, a smile and laugh threatening to leave her own lips.

Miranda hadn't been given release in a long, long time. She wasn't seeing anyone before London, and Shepard had normally kept her so busy that at night she just collapsed on her bed and fell asleep. London was starting to realize this when Miranda looked up at her almost desperately.

_My poor baby._

The relationship needed to go slowly so that it could bloom fruitfully. But Miranda was practically squirming beneath the dancer. "London," she cried out softly, hands reaching out and begging to feel the other's skin on her own.

Then an idea struck the brunette. "Okay, okay" she cooed gently, laying back down between the woman's legs and pressing her body firmly against Miranda's. The operative sighed happily as the warm skin came in contact with her own. It was only seconds more between the kisses and caresses that the pair quickly got back into the heat of things. Miranda was panting softly as the ache between her thighs only grew, able to now feel the moistness that formed there more significantly.

London leaned down to press her lips against the others as she carefully flipped them around, being sure that Miranda landed to where she was only straddling one of London's thighs. London pressed down on the XO's hips heavily and Miranda groaned, hips automatically bucking against the dancer's firm muscle, rubbing her warm, slick center and making Miranda's jaw slacken.

"How did that feel," London purred, voice thick with arousal yet also underlined with honest concern.

"_Mmph_," came the throaty reply. It was the only sound Miranda had left as she leaned over to claim the other woman's lips, her hips grinding against London's thigh once more for good measure. She couldn't help the groan that escaped her, gasping softly into the stream of kisses that London placed onto her already swollen lips.

The dancer bent her knee, elevating her straddled thigh a little more and planting her foot firmly against the bed. "Now do it again."

Miranda obeyed. She grasped London's shoulders tightly as she hunched over and grinded her hips, her eyes shutting as she whimpered and trembled with the new angle. It added pressure to all the amazingly right places, hitting the hard little nub between Miranda's thighs. She didn't have to be told to continue as she sat up and rubbed herself down the firm muscle naturally.

London allowed her hands free reign as she explored the smoothness of Miranda's thighs, and the length of her sides. She smiled, fully accepting the brunt of the XO's weight as she sat back and continued to rub herself. London could feel the intense warmth of Miranda's sex against her thigh, the increasing wetness that grazed her skin there from beneath black, laced panties.

Miranda couldn't tell which one was more sexually satisfying: being able to stroke her core, or knowing that she was doing this scandalous act on top of London. She didn't think much on the matter either way as she pressed herself harder down onto the muscle and increased her speed, turning her gasps and quiet moans into full on cries with renewed adore. London pushed her luck and bent her knee even further, forcing the operative to curve and slam her hands down on either side of London's face. London craned her neck upwards to kiss and Miranda cried out into London's mouth, her hips moving in hard upward strokes as she felt the beginnings of her orgasm wash over her. Her stomach was in tight knots, doing back-flips amongst the mass of butterflies that seemed to be flying around in there.

The brunette's hands danced around the XO's back, exploring as her fingernails gently scratched and slid on the skin beneath. She brought her hands to trail the length of Miranda's ribs then swivel around upwards towards the chest, soon caressing and kneading the supple breasts she found there. "_Oh f—_" Lawson's eyes shut tightly and her toes curled as she screamed into London's neck, her hips bucking violently a few extra times as Miranda's orgasm finally came to a full realization.

London was smiling as she lifted an arm to wrap around the woman on top of her, carefully lowering her now slick thigh to lie back onto the mattress but replacing it with her own gentle fingers. She protectively cupped Miranda's sex, allowing her index, middle, and ring fingers to continue stroking the woman through her panties, bringing the XO off her high slowly and lovingly. The touch made Miranda jolt as she pushed her hot center against the fingers in a half daze, melting onto the woman below her.

When the twitches and trembles subsided, an involuntary smile crept onto Miranda's lips as she collapsed beside the brunette and began to softly laugh, folding her arms over her eyes once more. "…I can't believe I just did that. That was…I just…you _are_ insane!" There was no hurt in the blue eyed woman's words. There was only contentment and a certain giddy, innocent quality that London had never ever seen nor heard before.

"We've so been over this! I am not," the sniper jibed inoffensively, "I'm simply ensuring that we're taking this at the speed it's needed to be taken at. Think of it as a major step on the way towards an overall goal?"

"Think of it as you'd like because _I think _that an orgasm is an orgasm," the Aussie said through another surprising laugh, continuing to hide her face behind her arms.

London slapped Miranda's side humorously, absolutely loving the newfound playfulness of the operative. She was starting to loosen up and London could not be happier. "And you looked absolutely stunning as it washed over you. But this was foreplay. Imagine what I'll do to you when we make love…"

Miranda wrinkled her nose and groaned at the sudden twitch between her legs in response, causing the sniper to laugh before turning and lowering to head to place a kiss between the operative's breasts then lifting her chin to look back up into her eyes. "It was still very pleasant. I never thought you were so easily…" London trailed off, looking deliberately at Miranda with a self satisfied grin.

The XO lowered her arms to look at the ex-dancer. "I'm not. But it seems that with you it doesn't take a lot of effort to get me going," she grinned, but rolled her eyes as she saw the smug look that appeared on London's face. For once the tables had turned and it was London who had the ego. "You were—stop smiling, damn it."

London laughed again as she grabbed the comforter and threw it over the both of them, kissing her way back up Miranda's body until she was lying at the woman's side and cuddling close, the heat of their almost bare bodies creating an aura of comfort. The dancer rested her arm across the woman's stomach as she buried her face into the nook of Miranda's neck, much as she had when she first entered the woman's office. Miranda could feel her sporadic breathing soon become deep, even inhales and exhales, her body relaxing as she stretched her arms over her head contently.

For a long time the office was quiet, leisure fingers from both women caressing and creating patterns along the length of each other's bodies.

"…thank you."

London snuggled her nose against the other woman's neck, finding respite in the scent of lavender crème, dry spices, and the warmth of Miranda's embrace. She felt like nothing could harm her; like all of her bad experiences and the people she had lost along the way were nothing more than a distant and terrible dream. "Thank you for what? An incredible make out session followed by an innocently begotten orgasm?"

"Very mature," Miranda chuckled shaking her head, "but no. Thank you for _this_. For knowing what I need when I'm so unsure myself at times. For not giving up on me when I'm being completely and utterly—"

"Hard to work with? Impossible?" the sniper grinned into Miranda, planting small kisses as her arm tightening around the woman's tummy.

Miranda huffed dramatically, her body sliding down the bed to sink into her pillows further. London laughed, leaning in to press her lips against Miranda's jaw but eyebrow rising when Miranda continued to sink underneath the sheets. "What are you doing?"

"Taking another step towards our overall goal," came the low, sarcastic response as London's eyes widened, the feel of a warm, sly hand pushing her thighs apart and causing the brunette to gasp, "Oh God, I've created a sneaky handed monster."

But suddenly Miranda sat on her knees between London's legs and poked her head out from under the sheets. "Speaking of—you don't think Kasumi is here right?"

The two women were quiet, trying to listen to the sound in the office and hoping to not catch anything unusual.

Two pairs of shifty eyes glanced all around the room before Miranda's gaze landed back onto the brunette. "R-Right?"

**[End 27: Step 1 - Comfort and Exploration]**

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_A/N: I hate writing the word nipple (is it just me?)! Ugh!_

_Nipple, Nipple, Nipple, Nipple._

_Nope. Still hate it._

_And why are my chapters always so long! Gaaah. I'm going to start doing itsy bitsy four paged chapters instead of 30-40 page monstrosities! It's a fan-fiction not a damn novel for goodness sake!_

_Next update in a few weeks. Time to get dark. *sobs*_


	28. June

_Disclaimer: The Mass Effect Universe and everything in it belongs to BioWare. I only lay claim to London and Teagan._

_This is the longest chapter I've ever done, hitting almost 50 pages.__ It's also unbeta'd so forgive my mistakes if I've made any.  
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[Chapter Twenty-Eight: June]

All of her weight was pressed on top of London's body as Miranda laid on her, resting her head on the brunette's chest. She listened intently, allowing her eyelids to close so she could immerse herself in its steady beat. London ran her calve along the smoothness of Miranda's right thigh as she curled her leg around the Australian's hip. "How's my heart doing? Am I fit for work, doctor?"

"The theory of entrainment in physics states that some specific sounds increase the rate of your heartbeat. Apparently yours increases with the sound of my voice."

The sniper lifted a well groomed eyebrow, observing the self-satisfied expression on her girlfriends face. "Have I ever told you how sexy that big, beautiful brain of yours was? And how incredibly …_smug_ it's currently making you?"

Miranda chuckled and wrapped herself even tighter around the woman beneath her. "Are you denying what your heart is so clearly stating, Specialist O'Conner?"

London watched as Miranda's cheeks flushed to her own question. Perhaps she should have worded it differently. Either way the brunette smiled and shook her head, "I'm not denying anything. It's a known fact that my heart speeds up when you just _look_ in my general direction. I can only imagine what it must sound like when you actually speak to me."

Gentle lips pressed down onto the sniper's sternum, lingering there for several small moments before blue eyes fixated on the younger woman's face. "It sounds beautiful."

London caressed the operative's cheek lightly, a cheeky grin on her face. "It's that accent, I'm telling you. It's going to be the death of me one day."

Perfect brows furrowed when Miranda decided to get off the other woman and stand from the bed. She looked around for her bra and uniform as she spoke, "Don't joke like that. Now move it and get dressed. Shepard should be calling us within the next half hour."

London rolled her eyes at Miranda's sudden shift. It was only a joke and the operative should have known better than to get so upset. But in a strange way she was only trying to show London how much she cared. Joke or not, Miranda didn't want her to get hurt. Still, London couldn't help herself when grabbing her dangling bra from the nightstand and putting it on quickly before saluting the XO. "Yes, Operative Lawson."

**xxxxxxx**

**[5pm/ Omega/ Afterlife/4 hours till infiltration]**

The club had been closed for the day in preparation for The Velvet Vault's party, an eerie silence replacing what was typically booming music and the ramblings of drunken clientele. There was a slight echo as Shepard walked down the entrance hall; a man yelling and a small assembly of human and asari dancers panting in exhaustion.

"No, no, no! You're doing it all wrong, damn it! It's one, two, three, step, kick, twirl, step, step, kick, arms, arms, arms, step, twirl, and pose. You're doing step, step, arms, kick, arms, arms, step, twirl, and pose. Do it RIGHT. I will not have this club shamed because you eight ninnies can't dance worth a shit! If you want to get paid big credits then you better damn well put in the effort needed or I'll replace you right here and now!

"You think it's just my name on the line? Fuck no! Its Aria's too! Do you really want to piss her off? No? Well then GET. IT. TOGETHER! Lianna, what the hell have you be rehearsing," Flex called out angrily, twisting around to try and find his assistant. "LIANNA—_shit_."

His face turned a ghostly shade of white when instead of his assistant he took in the sight of the always fully armored Commander Shepard.

John had his head tilted in amusement at the manager wearing tight purple ballet pants and a white, loose, long-sleeved shirt. "Nice outfit, twinkle-toes. It's a great color on you."

"There were out of black in the men's section." Flex clenched his jaw, a line forming between his eyes as his brows tightly narrowed. He soon corrected his gesture, however, upon remembering exactly whom he was dealing with. "Shepard, how _nice_ it is to see you yet again. I don't know how you got passed my bouncers but we'll not go into that little tidbit. What are you doing here," he asked flatly, "today is an important day and I don't have the time to fritter away."

"Fritter? Aw Flex," Shepard said with a toothy grin, a strong arm wrapping around the small man's shoulder as John forced him into taking a stroll. "Walk with me a second, will ya? I have a favor I need to ask you."

The manager's body was rigid as the Commander held him close to his armor, "The last time I did you a favor I ended up with a gun pointing at my balls by that she-demon of a woman. I don't think I owe you nothin', Shepard."

John clicked his tongue as he tightened his hands squeeze on the smaller man's shoulder, rewarding himself when a tiny whimper left Flex's lips. "Then let's not think of it as a favor then, alright? Let's think of it as a business proposal."

Flex's eyebrow quirked, voice coming out quaky and nervous, "You, erm, wanna do business?"

"Sure, Flex. I would like to do business with you."

"W-What did you have in mind? What's the proposal?"

Shepard shook the man in what was suppose to be an encouraging gesture, "Help me and I don't kill you?"

Flex pushed himself away from the Commander, wiggling his finger towards the man. "Aha! You're funny, Shepard. We're not going down this road again. You had me going, I admit." When Shepard's serious expression didn't change Flex swallowed a heavy lump, "Come on, I mean you're Commander Shepard! You're one of the good guys, right?" he asked with a smile, playfully leaning in to give John's shoulder a baby tap. "R-Right? You wouldn't do that to me…again."

John crossed his arms. "You know what I'll do to ensure that the job gets done."

Flex threw his head back and released an elongated exhale. "Fine! Shit, why do you always gotta bust my balls? What the hell do you need?"

Shepard led the manager towards the office to where both men could take a seat and speak privately. "Word is you'll be sending in a few girls to The Velvet Vault tonight. Three of which are reserved especially for two mercenaries named J. Sanders and S. Riley."

"Yeah? It ain't illegal. Riley likes the girls from here and I like his credits. It's a win, win situation. So what's that got to do with you?"

"So," John continued, "I need to get in there."

Flex stood up from his seat, "Whoa, Shepard. You ain't exactly their cup of tea if you get my drift. And you ain't exactly the prettiest girl on the block either. They'd never believe that you worked here even if we did add all the hair and makeup! Can you even fit in a thong?"

"Flex," John sighed, pinching the area between his eyes. "Shut up and sit down."

He gulped and did as instructed. "I ain't following where this is going then."

"I need you to replace three of your girls with three of mine."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Flex stood up again. "Shepard, it's not that easy! This is a _business_! If we don't make the credits Aria gets pissed. Do you want to live in a place where the asari who owns it hates your damn guts? NO. You don't! I can't just replace her girls! She'd fucking kill me!"

Shepard placed his elbows onto his knees as he sat, leaning into the manager with a severe expression. "I'll pay you for each girl you replace. Aria stays happy, you don't get killed, and I get what I need. Everyone wins."

Flex scoffed, "Commander, with all due respect the women who work here are perfectly defined specimens of desire. They don't get shoved a couple of creds and go on their merry way. At a party like this each girl can bring in anywhere from three to six thousand creds a pop."

John pulled out a chit card from his pouch, holding the small object out between his index and middle finger. "This has fifteen thousand credits on it, five for each girl. I even brought a little extra to give to the girls themselves as compensation. It's yours if you replace them."

Flex could feel his mouth water but was quick to rid himself of the temptation with a swift shake of the head, "I don't know about this, Shepard. You get your girls in there, rough a few guys up, you walk away, and then those guys come looking for me afterwards wondering how the hell it all happened. Either way I don't see a bright side for me. I end up dead or dead."

"Answer me this, Flex: Would you rather be dead _now_ or dead _later_?"

The manager slumped down onto the seat behind his desk and slammed his head into the metal surface.

John wiggled the small chit card in his fingers. "Well?"

Flex lifted his face, a large red bump already forming on his forehead as he reached out to snag the credits. "Can I at least see the girls? I need to know how much we're going to have to fix them up. We got a reputation to maintain here."

"They already have everything they need but sure let's introduce you. Alright guys," Shepard said into his comms link, "come say hello to Flex."

It was a few minutes that passed in uncomfortable silence before Flex's office door slid open and the three women stepped through, the manager's eyes bulging out of his head upon noticing the first one who walked in. "You have _got_ to be shitting me. She's still with you!"

London crossed her arms and leaned back against a wall, an uninterested gaze wandering over the man's face. "So articulate, I'm impressed."

Jack wasn't able to keep the same poise as she got an eyeful of Flex's current outfit, her loud cackles echoing throughout the office as she leaned over to hold her stomach and slap her knee, "Have you seen—" _Inhale_. "that fuckin' outfit—" _Wheeze_. "aw crap— it's fuckin' hilarious! Tiny p-purple leggings!"

Miranda felt a little grin spread across her lips when Flex adjusted his shirt to try and cover his leggings self-consciously as he looked over the three women. "Yeah laugh it up, baldy."

Jack's eyes immediately went into searing slits as she instantaneously walked up towards his desk and slammed a biotic fist into its surface, "What'd you say, short shit?" He was actually taller than Jack, but at this moment she couldn't have made him feel smaller.

Flex sank into his seat, his eyes frantically seeking out the Commander. "What a _lovely_…bunch of ladies you have here, Shepard."

John grinned, "That's Jack, you already know London, and that—" he pointed towards his XO, "is Lawson, my second in command."

Flex nodded, being sure to keep his tone polite what with so many psycho women in the room. He released a nervous laugh, "At least they're all lookers. You m-might be able to pull it off after all."

Shepard raised a brow, "When I'm looking for your approval I'll ask for it."

The manger nodded quickly, "Got it. Can you two dance?"

Jack was picking something out of her teeth as she answered disinterestedly, "We can shake our asses well enough. That's all you gotta know," she said, flicking the residue on her nail towards the guy.

"I see you're classy too," Flex said as she stood from his seat. "Well if you'll excuse me I have to finish practicing with my girls for their big number at The Vault tonight. You all better be ready to go by seven thirty. The three girls you wanna replace are out in the practice room on the polls or some shit. I ain't got the time to tell them that they're out so just do it yourselves. London should know who most of them are."

Shepard nodded his head as he stood up from his seat, watching the manager exit the office before turning towards his squad. "The first step is already in motion. Get out there and mingle with the girls you'll be replacing, and then when 7:30 hits, Flex will pack you all up and ship you to The Vault. Kasumi will be cloaked at the entrance. Miranda you walk through the doors first. Jack I want you to stay four steps behind Lawson to give Kasumi the second she needs to pass security unnoticed. Afterwards you guys just work a little magic until June shows up. Get him into his room, Kasumi will knock him out with the drugs, and then Garrus and I will pick you all up. You're in charge in there, Lawson. Get the job done."

Miranda nodded her head, "Will do, Commander."

"I'll see you in a few hours then."

As both the XO and London exited the office Jack reached out to grab Shepard's arm. He smiled down at her as he brought a hand to gently rest on the nape of her neck. "You ready?"

The biotic nodded, "I guess, yeah."

Shepard drew her close, enveloping his arms around her body and holding tightly. "Remember: if you think anything is wrong in the slightest you let me know, alright? I'll be there faster than you can bat an eyelash."

She slithered her hands around his abdomen and nodded, "Gotcha."

John lowered his chin so he could kiss the top of head, her very short hair tickling the tip of his nose. "Good. Now get out there," he said, walking a short distance to the door.

"Hey, Shepard?" the ex-convict interrupted.

"What's up?"

"Did you…you know…find anything on what we talked about at the Citadel?"

The commander shook his head, "A lot of the files went missing but I'll be sure to ask Miranda when the time is appropriate. But don't worry, we'll find something eventually."

**xxxxxxx**

**[6PM/ The Afterlife Practice Studio]**

Their studio was a medium sized room, three of the four walls covered in ceiling high mirrors. The main space had a wide open floor with three practice polls near the furthest wall from the entry way. To the right was another door leading into a small dressing area. When the whole team entered the room, London led them through the dressing room doors.

The three dancers meant for Riley and June were sitting in front of a large vanity mirror chatting and preparing themselves for tonight. One was an asari named Maliana. Her skin was a beautiful shade of purple; her body was lean and slender. She had the most expressive eyes and full, pouty lips. The other two were human. London didn't recognize the youngest one, but the other's name was Ayo, a stunning African American woman. Her head was shaved which only accentuated her gorgeous, chiseled facial features. She was taller than most other women standing at a proud six foot one with legs that went on for miles. Most men couldn't keep their hands off her, her skin was always smooth and warm, begging to be touched.

"Ladies," London said with a grin as she leaned into the door's frame.

Ayo's eyes widened when she turned her head, getting up from her seat immediately to take the woman into warm hug. "What are you doing here! We all thought you quit!"

The brunette laughed as she returned the hug happily before bringing the woman back to look up into her face. "You're still beautiful as ever, Ayo." She turned her hands towards the operative and the convict. "This is Miranda and that's Jack."

Ayo nodded her head politely, "My hellos to you."

Maliana rolled her eyes as she adjusted her eye shadow in the mirror, "Well if it isn't the prized White Rose of Omega. Halle-fuckin-lujah."

London narrowed her gaze towards the asari, "Still a bitch, Mali?"

"Still cheap, London?"

Ayo whipped her body around, "Maliana!"

She sighed, turning back to face the two new women. "I apologize on behalf of Maliana. She's simply on edge about tonight. As you have heard, I am Ayo and this lovely woman is Bella," she said motioning towards the nervous young woman sitting in front of the mirrors. Bella offered a shy smile and wave towards the small group of newcomers.

London looked up onto Ayo and took the woman's hands in her own, "That gig tonight is actually why I'm here."

Ayo tilted her head, "You're joining us? They ordered another?"

The sniper led the other dancer to take a seat, sitting next to her and crossing her legs. "Ayo, how much do you know about these men that you're going to be sent to?"

The woman shook her head, "As much as they usually tell us, you know that. They did a credit check, made sure they were clean, and told us the time and place. I know that Riley is a normal client and that his girls come back a little bruised but fine none-the-less."

London clenched her jaw, forcing the memories of the terrible man from her mind. "What's the time and place?"

"Ayo, don't tell her that," Maliana growled. "Flex didn't say there was a fourth girl. She'll just show up and ruin it. We get paid more in tips if it's just us three."

London glanced over towards the asari before leaning into Ayo, "I _need_ to talk to you three about something. Before you say anything let me finish what I have to say, okay? Flex is going to replace you three with us three—"

Maliana slammed her fist down onto the vanity, "See! What did I _just_ say? She walks in, ruins everything, and then leaves with the credits."

Ayo took a step back and shook her head. "London? You can't do that, you know we all need the tips."

London raised both hands to calm the two down, "Let me _finish_. These guys are mixed up in something pretty bad. We need to take your place to get a few answers to some questions we have. Really, it's the best thing for all parties."

"How is that the best for us and who the hell are you? Are you a damn cop now?" Maliana glowered, "You know we have a quota to meet if we want to stay on Flex's elite list. Plus Bella was expecting a large pay out today—six thousand creds _minimum_. Tell her, Bells."

The young woman shook her head shyly, "I-it's okay."

The asari rolled her eyes, "She's Pristine, Lond."

Jack and Miranda exchanged glances as the brunette kneeled in front of the young woman who couldn't have been past eighteen. "Listen to me very closely. You haven't started a list of cliental yet. Hey look at me, kid," London said, taking the girls chin and forcing eye contact. "Back out now. It's not worth it, _trust_ me. You're just setting yourself up to grow up bitter and angry." The brunette then stood and looked over to Ayo then Maliana, "Flex was paid fifteen thousand credits for the replacement. You don't owe him anything. As for your tips…"

Miranda placed three separate chit cards down onto the vanity. "Each has three thousand credits. They're yours."

Ayo's eyes widened, "That's double what we would have made."

"Take them," London said with an honest smile.

Bella looked up at the pretty sniper with worry, "Will you guys be o-okay if we don't go?"

"We'll be fine. Now tell us what we need to know as their private escorts."

Ayo observed the honesty in London eyes before feeling comfortable enough to speak, "The party is on the conference deck located at the very top of the Vault. Since our clients were more important guests, their rooms were near the event on floor eighty two. We were told that their rooms are connecting for convenience."

Miranda looked at the woman, "So they're on floor eighty two. What are their room numbers?"

"836 is where Mr. Riley is staying and 837 where Mr. Sanders is staying. They'll be expecting you by 10 P.M."

Maliana stuffed her chip into her purse as she listened to the other women talk. "I get paid for doing nothing then? Maybe you should come around more often after all," she said with delight.

London turned towards the asari, "Just take the chip and go."

Maliana rolled her eyes, "I could use the day off anyways. Let's go, girls."

Ayo gave London a quick hug and sigh of relief, "_Thank you_. Will you need me to do your design?"

London nodded, "Some of the men there might notice me and ask for my company if I wear it. So yes please, if you don't mind."

"It's the least I can do. I'll go get the ink."

Jack yawned as she took a seat, "Hey what was that Malaysia girl talking about? What's a Pristine? And what Design?"

London looked over towards the biotic. "One question at a time please," she chuckled. "And to answer the first question… and to put it bluntly, a Pristine is a virgin."

Jack shook her head, "Flex was going to sell her virginity? No shit?"

The brunette nodded, "It's not as uncommon on Omega as you might think. Hell, even Illium will sell it if a proper contract is prepared. But Omega is a terrible place to live regardless. If you're not a merc, own a taxi service, or own a store it's hard to come by work. People rarely higher and it's not cheap to live in the more decent (_not as many rats_) places. That's why majority of the population here live in the slums."

"…did you sell—" Miranda stopped, unable to ask the question. She wasn't entirely sure that she even wanted to know the answer. But London looked over towards her anyways, making brief eye contact then looking to the ground.

"And to your second question, Jack, Ayo has an inking pen that was handed down for generations in her family. Placing designs on her skin is part of her culture. We were the only two girls that worked six days a week so we spent a lot of time back here talking. She has two kids, I had one and we needed the creds. I used to braid her hair (_when she had it_) before performances and as a gift in return she would draw a vine along my rib cage with the single, most beautiful white rose you've ever seen adorning it. She's quite gifted in art. Locals seemed to take to it when I performed and I got dubbed the 'White Rose of Omega'. As a favor she kept doing it."

Jack raised a brow, "She must have had a shit load of patience. She did that every day?"

"No," London waved off, "It stays on for about two weeks."

"Hmm," the biotic mumbled in thought. "Hey, can I fuck around on those polls outside?"

London chuckled and shrugged at the biotics curiosity, "Do what you'd like. After Ayo is done with me I'll help you with your corset."

"Sweet."

As Jack left, Ayo had made her way back with a small wooden box in her hands. "The time is drawing closer, London. We need to begin immediately if I am to finish the design before seven thirty. Undress and sit please."

London nodded, raising her tank top over her head before turning her back towards the other women and removing her bra. She crossed her arms over her chest and cupped her breasts as she turned to sit into a chair. Ayo took a seat beside the brunette and detached the pen from its case, pushing London to lean over in order to work. The brunette hissed softly from both the cold liquid being applied to her skin, and the slightly sharp point of the pen. Miranda was quick to sit down on the other side of the brunette and examine her face for distress. London bit her lip as she looked onto the operative, a slight blush coming to her cheeks. "I'm a pansy, I know."

Miranda gave a tender smile, placing a hand on London's thigh and shaking her head. "You are not."

Ayo watched the two women with a curiosity. To her it was obvious. She was wise for a woman in her mere mid thirties, years of living in Omega adding experience to her life and weight to her shoulders. In her job she stared into the eyes of countless individuals. It was only natural to learn more about people and their habits: the feelings in their eyes, what their body language suggested. "So tell me Miranda, how long have you been in love with London?"

London closed her eyes and grinned when she felt Miranda squeeze her thigh, the operative's eyes snapping towards Ayo. "Excuse me?"

"Don't be modest," Ayo said with a pleasant, soothing chuckle, "It's in your eyes and in the attentiveness of your touch."

"Ayo," London said calmly yet with a hint of enjoyment, "leave her be."

Miranda clenched her jaw, mumbling incoherently as she looked away from both women.

The woman shrugged innocently, "I'm a sap for lovers and romance, what can I say? But if I see things correctly, and I always do, you two are together… yes?"

London looked over to Miranda with a proud smile. "…well I don't know," she feigned.

The operative was quick to bring her eyes back towards the brunette with a questioning look. Ayo could only chuckle as she watched the flash of confusion and worry cross the XO's face, "That's as good a yes as I've ever heard."

Lawson glared daggers at her girlfriend who had leaned in to snatch a quick kiss, but Miranda turned her cheek and shifted uncomfortably before the contact.

"Ah-ah," Ayo chastised. "Do not move."

London froze and eased her way back into a slight lean, arms still firmly folded across her chest. "Sorry."

Lawson got up from her seat. "I'm going to dress."

Ayo examined as the operative left rigidly before turning her gaze back towards the other dancer with a questioning look over, "You've not told her have you?"

"Told her what?"

"That you love her?"

London looked at her own reflection in the mirror. "Love? I have not said anything. How did this subject even come about?"

"That is a lie then. It is an undeserving lie to both yourself and her," Ayo said simply and knowingly. "You fell in love a long time ago."

A tender smile formed on London's lips as she tilted her head. It was almost as if she were recalling every single thing Miranda had done for her. When _had_ she fallen in love? When the operative calmed and untied Teagan's bonds on Almos? When she saved London's life? When she washed the blood and scent of Cavan off her body? When she bought Teagan her backpack and terminal for school? When they talked in the privacy of each other's bed rooms on multiple occasions? It was beginning to become impossible to know for sure, but somewhere a long the lines in these past few months she had fallen hard and knew it. It was just eerie that Ayo figured it out in a matter of minutes.

"Oh have I now? You think I've fallen in love?" The tone in London's voice was more amused (_and maybe a little creeped_ out) than anything else.

"Oh you have," Ayo said matter-of-factly. "And why not tell her? Matters of the heart are important. I have not seen you with anyone since you first arrived at this club. It is not healthy for one's heart as big as yours to be withdrawn for so long."

"…it's complicated and best left at that."

Ayo nodded wisely, eyes focused as she worked on London's side. She pushed. "Love is never complicated. Relationships take work, yes—hard work even. But love? Loving someone is simple. Love is effortless."

"She's not ready."

Ayo considered the brunette's words and pushed the subject ever more, "People are afraid of themselves, my darling. They're afraid of their reality and their feelings most of all. I believe your Miranda is the same. They grow up knowing love in one way or another and then somewhere along the line, and no matter the age, someone breaks their heart. Perhaps it was a friend who broke it, or a lover, or a family member. But no matter, they learn that love and trust hurt. They are taught that love is dangerous and serves no purpose other than pain. They will not love if they are afraid to feel. Yet they do not understand that the pain is meant to wake us up. You find your strength in the experience because it's all in how you carry through it that matters. Tell your Miranda that you love her. Show her not to be afraid. I would not be surprised to find that those three simple words are all she needs to hear from you."

Thirty minutes passed by without another word said from either woman. London was silent, biting her lower lip as she focused on the light sting of Ayo's pen and the honesty of her words. It was only until Miranda reentered in her babydoll lingerie that London's mood brightened. She offered a playful wolf-whistle towards her love, wiggling her eyebrows in good humor.

The XO rolled her eyes as she took her seat once more by London's side, crossing her legs and leaning over to observe Ayo's work. London looked in her direction, closing her lids and inhaling softly. She was so close that the brunette could smell the operative's lightly scented skin. When she had opened her eyes London found Miranda looking at her with a bemused expression. The sniper shrugged sheepishly, "So what was Jack doing on the poll?"

"She's swiveling around that thing like a buttered turkey crazy on red dust."

London laughed loudly, wincing when she felt the pen at her ribs deliberately push a little too hardly. "Sorry, sorry. I won't move."

Miranda grinned, "She's enjoying herself though. And if it keeps her busy and out of trouble then that's fine with me. However, I came to gather you. It's almost time to be dropped off and you two still need to dress."

Ayo nodded her head, "Almost finished."

"I'll have Jack begin dressing then. Thank you for your help, Ayo."

"Think nothing of it."

London inhaled slowly, "I guess it's time then."

Miranda nodded. "It is. Let's go meet June."

**xxxxxxx**

**The Velvet Vault**

**8 P.M**

So far everything had gone relatively smoothly. Jack, Miranda, London, and Kasumi managed to enter the resort with no hassle. Lianna, Flex's assistant, had lined them up like cattle, filing all twelve of her girls in through the doors one by one. Luckily she wasn't pushy with Jack and let her walk at her own pace, giving the thief the few seconds needed to squeeze by the bouncers and through the door unnoticed.

Everything was so loud inside it was a wonder people were trying to chit chat at all. The music filled the air with deep, dark rhythms that any exotic dancer wouldn't have trouble moving to. It was a moderately paced but sensual beat. Lights had been turned down to a dim on the main floor. The center of the room was vast, several gambling tables placed strategically around to fit as many men and women as physically possible per table. The farthest end of the room held a stage with one poll at either end. The polls were lit up with pink neon lights that cast an alluring shade over those who used it. Two asari danced seductively on each poll as a small gathering of men sat at a nearby table and watched, enjoying their beverages and conversation.

None of the Normandy women had ever seen so many mercenary in one room before. Maybe they'd seen this many scattered throughout an entire facility, but never one room. They were everywhere. No matter which direction you turned your head in there would be a group of them. Escorts and dancers were not a rare sight either: they floated gracefully amongst the mass, male and female dancers alike that hailed from other clubs in hopes of getting paid a large sum of credits before the night was out.

Miranda observed as a woman tugged a mercenary into a little room by his belt. London leaned in closely to her so she could be heard over the loud music, "That entrance leads to the private rooms. On one side of the hallway will be red doors, on the other there should be black."

Lawson nodded her head as she recalled the layout of the resort in her mind. London continued, "The red rooms are for sex. The black rooms are for dances." The brunette turned around to make sure Jack heard. She smiled when the biotic nodded.

"Let's get to work then," the XO said sternly. "We're expected up in Riley's bedroom in two hours. Of course he won't be here so we'll go into June's instead. Kasumi should already be up there and poking around. Mingle with any Blue Sun that's here. Try to find out anything you can, but stay on _this_ _floor_, is that understood? I don't want either one of us to go too far without the other two knowing."

Jack nodded her head, "Got it."

Gray eyes searched the room, "Blue suns tend to stay gathered up. Try to work around the bar or near the—" London was interrupted when a rough hand grabbed her by the bicep and swiveled her around. "Hey thurr," the mercenary burped, "beautiful, I recognized that tattoo on yer ribsh from Afterlife, am I right? Aren't you the White Rose?"

When Miranda saw London being man handled it was her first instinct to punch the guy in the nose. But when she noticed a flirtatious grin instantaneously spread across London's lips she halted her movements. She watched as the brunette pressed her body into his, a slender finger rising to trace the stubble along his jaw as she cooed sensual proclamations into his reddening ears. Miranda's stomach churned. London let her hands slide down his chest then Miranda watched as she moved them back up, slid them across to his shoulders, and then slithered them down his arms to take his hands into hers. The brunette dragged him to an empty table and sat the man down, soon placing herself into his lap and leaning in. Miranda watched as London smiled and laughed as they talked, watching as she leaned in frequently to whisper into his ear, giving the man a generous view of her cleavage.

It was time to get to work.

"Hey, sexy." Lawson turned around to what she presumed was a man speaking to her, but was taken back when the tall, light haired mercenary was speaking to Jack instead. The biotic rolled her eyes and roughly took the merc by the collar of his shirt, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Shut the fuck up and go sit somewhere so I can jiggle for you."

"Whoa," the mercenary laughed, lifting his hands up as he was dragged away. "I like em' rough!"

Miranda stood there dumbfounded. "I was picked last? _Really_?"

**xxxxxxx**

**Room 837**

Kasumi was shuffling through June's belongings quickly and efficiently, making sure to place every single little thing back in the order she had found it in. "Shepard come in, this is Kasumi."

"I'm listening, Goto. What do you got for me?"

She unzipped another bag and began going through its contents. "Nothing so far. June is clean. It's all clothes and…wait a minute…"

"What is it?"

"Shepard, I got a data pad here." She linked her omni-tool up to it. "Hacking into the link and sending you the contents."

_[[ - We require your services once again in the transport of our equipment. I have dispatched our representatives to meet with you regarding the details of the transaction. Given the sensitive nature of our cargo, we expect discretion on the matter. We understand it is your boss's intent to study the rare substance. We only ask that upon completion of the transaction that the recipient(s) destroy all hard and soft copies of receipts._

_R. Farin_

_Chief Researcher_

_Exo Geni Corporations -]]_

Garrus shook his head, confusion clear across his face. "Shepard, that's an Alliance corporation. They're the same one that founded Zhu's Hope on Feros. They dig for artifacts and provide funding for new colonies. What do they have to do with biotics?"

John wrinkled his brow, "I don't know. Just because they're Alliance doesn't mean what they're doing is sanctioned by the Alliance. Kasumi is there anything else?"

"That's everything, Shepard. His other bag is empty. There's no receipt. I imagine that's where Sanders is currently. He must be making the transaction as we speak. I'm sure by the end of the night he'll have secured the cargo and the receipt. I'll wait until the girls get here and he returns. When we knock him out I'll gather everything he brings in."

"Good work in there, Goto. Are the other three doing alright?"

Kasumi placed the data pad back into the bag and zipped it up carefully. "Everything is going fine down here, Shepard. Don't worry."

"Understood. Stay silent until radio communications is needed."

"Aye, Commander."

**xxxxxxx**

**9 P.M**

London walked quickly up to her second commander the moment that both of them were free, "Have you gotten anything on June?"

Miranda shook her head, "It's bloody useless. I knew they would be drinking, but most of these idiots can't put two sentences together without forgetting what it was they were speaking about to begin with. Every Blue Sun I come across is either too wasted or doesn't know a damn thing about him. What about you?"

"I hadn't had all that much luck either until someone that works under June mentioned a little tidbit offhandedly in a drunken stupor. I managed to find out that the man over there," she pointed towards a handsome Blue Sun with blond hair at the bar, "is expected to travel with him and Riley tomorrow morning. He must know the Buyer's drop off location. I mean if Sanders was expecting my father's PT and the chip in hand then they were going to deliver them someplace important, right?"

Miranda nodded, "Fantastic work, London. We need to get that man some place pri—"

"—Dance for me, baby. Dance for me over on that poll." A tipsy Turian had stumbled to both women and hovered over Miranda, interrupting her conversation. He laughed as he took her by the hips and forced them into an awkward side stepping dance. "I'll make it worth your while, I swear. I got credits practically falling out of my pockets."

Lawson clenched her jaw, resisting every bone in her body that ached to break this man's face, arms, and legs.

"Aw come on," he continued, lifting Miranda's wrists and wiggling her arms out like a flailing doll, "dance for me, sweetie! Loosen up! What are you? Are you a dancer that doesn't need the credits? Fuckin' please," he scoffed, "I don't like it when the girls play hard to get. Do your job and just entertain me, alright?"

When Miranda resisted yet again eyes began to turn onto the little scene. The Turian was becoming louder by the second, drawing the attention of fellow mercenaries around him. Miranda swallowed the lump in her throat as she became aware of the circumstance, eying the poll that she was asked to dance on.

This wasn't like the movies where every single sexy woman on the planet somehow always managed to know how to dance seductively. Poll dancing is _hard_. She had no idea how to poll dance and if she tried, she knew they would get caught and her cover would be blown. The situation was becoming more uncomfortable by the second until London smoothly slithered her way in between Miranda and the mercenary's body. "I'm sorry about the new girl, handsome. I'll dance for you. Why want a _girl_ when you can get a _woman _anyways," London said in a low, sultry tone.

It seemed to have worked. His brow arched happily as both his mandibles twitched. "Now this is how a dancer should always act…"

The brunette caressed the length of his arms, "Why don't you go wait over there by that poll you want while I give this little girl a few tips, hmm? We don't want this little scene happening again now do we?"

He shook his head quickly, "No we do not! Just make it quick, gorgeous. I'll be waitin' over there."

When the tipsy Turian stumbled away towards the poll London leaned into the other woman quickly, "Get Jack and go snag that merc, Miranda. Bouncers won't give you much privacy in a black room, so make him an offer and take him into the red room for a reduced price. Tell him that he could get both you and Jack for some low amount of credits. He'll be stupid to pass that up." She was about to turn away before the operative grabbed her wrist. London turned around with a curious gaze, "Miranda?"

Lawson intertwined there fingers briefly on one hand. "Be careful."

London smiled, offering her hand a little squeeze. "It's just a dance. I've done it hundreds of times. _You_ be careful, alright? Don't go into that room alone. Oh and here," London took off one of her rings and gave it to the operative. "Take this and put it on the nightstand, but be careful with it. It records video and audio. You might catch something useful if he starts spilling his guts to you and it becomes too much to remember. Flex gave it to me and Ayo a long time ago as a safe guard. If the client ever said something shifty we gave that ring to flex, he watched, passed it to Aria, and Aria took care of it. Hit the center when you want it to start recording, hit it again to stop. Replay is on the back. Twist the base to listen."

"I got it. I'll see you soon."

As London went to meet the mercenary at the designated poll, Miranda turned around to observe the room for Jack. When she couldn't spot her she began to explore. She passed several gambling tables and the buffet until she heard a small gathering of men and women cheering loudly, all huddling in a small circle and focused on something. Slowly making her way over, she started to circle around the group until a hand reached out to roughly grab her forearm. From the feel of it, it was a woman.

"Jack," she hissed upon coming face to face with the ex-convict, "where the hell were you! And…a-and why are you slimy!" Miranda's face knotted in revulsion, quickly wiping her arm off on her thigh.

Jack grinned smugly, "Its massaging oil. They have a tub of it right over there. Some dumbfuck gave me three hundred creds to wrestle some chick and said that if I won he'd put in another two hundred. Easiest. Win. Ever."

"Are you bloody serious?"

"Yeah," Jack replied pulling out the credit chit from her boobs, "can you believe it? I got five hundred creds for beating up a girl that looks like you. I could do this shit all day!"

Miranda tightened her jaw, "No you git! We're flirting with these drunken buffoons, trying to find out information, and you're wrestling for _credits_?"

"Relax, Vagisil. Might as well have a little fun while we're here, yeah? But before you get your panties all twisted and stuck up your ass, know that I got some information on our dude from some drunken guy with pink boxers that had a smiley face over his wiener."

"What the hell were you doing with a man in pink boxers?"

"Eh, I made him give me a lap dance."

"You made _him_ give _you_ a lap dance?"

Jack snorted, "Crazy shit, huh?"

Miranda groaned, "I'm not even going to ask how you've managed that. What did you find out?"

"That apparently tomorrow he's traveling with Sanders to drop off some important crap. He wouldn't say what. He only said that he was pissed because he would have to wake up early."

Lawson's blue eyes rounded as she grabbed Jack by the still slightly slimy hand and dragged her all the way back to the bar.

"What the fuck, Cheerleader!"

"Is that the guy?"

Jack looked over to where she was pointing and nodded. "Ayup, that would be him."

"Jack, we need to get _him_ into a red room and make him blurt out where he's going. We need that location. So just follow my lead while I seduce him in—"

"Hey fucker!" the biotic called out loudly towards the target, screaming over several people, "Jackson! Yeah—yeah _you_, dumb shit! Wanna' go have sex?"

The blond man's intoxicated eyes widened with joy and he smiled, nodding his head passionately as he barged through several mercenaries to get to both women. "I don't hafta' give you another lap dance do I? My thighs hurt."

Miranda covered her face with the palm of her hand and sighed deeply, "Oh for God's sake…"

The merc wiggled his eyebrows at Miranda and point his thumb at her, "Hey Jack, is this woman joining us to?"

"Yep. Gotta' problem?"

"Hell no! What's it going to cost me?"

"It's free out of the kindness of our perverted little hearts. Now shut up and stop asking questions."

"Sa-weet," Jackson pumped his arm enthusiastically. "What's your name?"

Jack now pointed her thumb towards the XO, "I present to you: Brunhilda the Kinky, known throughout the stars for her banshee screams and terrible personality. She likes being called Bruni. Or witch. Or bitch. It's all good because she likes it rough, thus the kinky! Ain't that right?"

Jackson eyed the raven haired women, red, drunken eyeballs blinking blankly. "I…uh, it's nice to be able to have sex with you, Brunhilda. Tell whoever your club manager is that he's done good."

Miranda tried to smile and giggle charmingly, but it came out more as a snarl that startled the poor man. "Pleasure is all mine," she managed to say through clenched teeth. "Shall we?" She didn't even wait for a response as she snagged the man by the arm and dragged him over into the hallway and through red doors.

Jack grabbed the mercenary and pushed him down onto the bed, "Alright listen up. Remember how you told me that you're going off somewhere tomorrow mornin' to drop some shit off? We wanna know where."

Miranda's eyes widened when Jack just cut straight to the point. She was going to ruin everything!

"Why do you want to know that?"

"Because, dumbass…" She crawled slowly up his body, biting roughly on the tip of his pectoral muscle before hovering over his face. "…I wanna know how long I need to pack for. Or do you not want a fuck buddy on the trip there?"

Miranda eyeballed Jack as she set London's ring down onto the nightstand and tapped its center.

His face flushed at the bite, blood running south and the effects of all the alcohol making his mind swirl. "You w-wanna go with me? Just to have sex?"

"I wanna' get out of this hell hole. You're my ride out, big boy—literally. I screw you till we get there, then I go my own way. Think of it as sex with no strings attached. So tell me where you're going so I can know how much I need to pack."

Jackson's eyes flashed between Jack and Miranda. "Can she come too?"

The biotic scoffed, "Now you're just being fuckin' greedy."

"Nono," Miranda interrupted, sitting down on the edge of bed and leaning into him with a sizzling whisper. She made sure that the mercenary got a nice view of her full cleavage. "If you want me to go…I'll go too."

Jackson swallowed, a large smile forming on his lips. "So you two…work together…a lot?"

Miranda shot a glance to Jack before returning her gaze back towards the blond merc and grazing her lower lip seductively along his earlobe, "Yes, we work together _all_ the time."

"Then do it," Jackson said quickly, his face beaming even more brightly. "W-work together now! I want to see you two first! If I like what I see I'll take you all with me!"

"What?" Both women deadpanned uniformly.

Jack wiggled a finger back and forth between herself and Miranda. "You want us to…"

Jackson nodded, rolling away and off the bed to give them room as he looked on excitedly. "Oh yeah. Oh _hell_ yeah!"

Miranda could feel the muscles in her cheeks flexing as her jaw switched between tightening and slacking. "I…um…Jackson, sweetie? Will you step outside a moment? I know you're awfully excited right now, but if we're going to do this right…I need to," the operative suppressed the need to vomit, "I need …to get her ready for our little sexual misadventure. Get the juices flowing, you know?"

His eyes seemed to glisten with happy tears, "You're going to fluff her? That's so fuckin' hot and I can totally respect that. I'll wait outside. Call me in as SOON as you're ready? A-and hurry up."

As soon as the mercenary left Jack reached out to choke her second in command, "What the fuck did you just get us into!"

Miranda put both her hands out in defense, "I didn't bloody think he was going to make _us_ do anything to _each other_!"

"THE FUCKING RED ROOMS ARE FOR SEX. WHAT ELSE WOULD HE WANT US TO DO?"

"Shhh!" Miranda had to reach out and cover Jack's mouth. "Not so damn loud Jack you're going to get us—OWWWW! You fucking bit me!"

The biotic snarled, "Cheerleader, I ain't screwing you to get information!"

Miranda shook her bitten hand out into the air as she scowled in discomfort, "Don't flatter yourself; like I would ever let _you_ do that to _me_! We just need to get him excited enough to where he spills the information. He's wasted! This is best time to do it!"

"Do I still have to touch you?"

"Probably."

Jack was quick to get off the bed. "Then fuck that!"

"Are you serious right now? You're going to let your personal issues with me interfere with the reason why we're here?"

"You bet your granny's bra I'm serious."

Miranda reached her hands out and strangled the air as she stood up. "We don't have time for this! He's waiting! We _need_ that information, Jack! If we don't get the location who knows how many more biotics will be taken? Ten? Twenty? A hundred? A thousand? We don't know what the Buyer's plans are but we're the only ones in the position to stop them."

The ex-convict paced back and forth several times before she yelled loudly out into the room. Jackson was heard cooing in excitement at her noise, figuring that both women must really be enjoying themselves. Jack huffed, "Fucking fine! Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK."

There was another cry of excitement.

"Let's hurry this shit up!"

"That's fine by me," Miranda said, grabbing the biotic and tossing her onto the bed. The moment Jack landed on the mattress she put the flat of her foot on Lawson's stomach and pushed the woman away before hopping right back onto her feet. "Hell no."

Miranda groaned, "What now?"

"If we're doing this shit _I_ go on top. You get on the bed first!"

"Bloody fine!" Lawson plopped herself onto the bed and released a tight exhale as she laid back on the mattress. She was reluctant but soon opened her legs to accommodate the biotic. Jack stared in horror as she pointed an accusing finger at Miranda's crotch. "That thing hasn't been used in forever. If I get close will a bat fly out and claw at my face?"

"Oh for God's sake, Jack! Just get on me!"

The biotic whimpered miserably as she obeyed, taking her place between the operative's legs and withholding the need to gag, her body heaving slightly.

"Stop acting like a child! If we don't pull this off a room full of heavily armed mercs will shoot us in the face after Jackson runs yelling!"

"This is the worst fuckin' position I've ever been in, in my entire life. I think I'd rather be back on Pragia—after it exploded."

"Shh," Miranda hissed. "He's coming in! Act like you at _least_ like me, Jack!"

"God, I'm gonna' vomit."

The door flew open and Miranda growled, reaching up to smash Jack's lips forcefully against her own just as Jackson walked through the door.

"Now _that's_ what I'm talking about! Fuck yes, Brunhilda!"

Jack scowled into the kiss, biting down on Miranda's lip hard enough for the operative to cry out. Miranda retaliated by clenching her thighs way to tightly around the biotic and hurting her ribs. The mercenary nodded approvingly and with a disgustingly happy smile when tattooed fingers ran through black locks of silken hair only to roughly yank at it and successfully remove several strands. Miranda's body jerked and her eyes watered. She quickly bent her leg and shoved a harsh knee into Jack's crotch. The biotic specialist's eyes widened and stared into cerulean orbs, "Did you just fucking poon-punt me?" That was it. Both women seemed to roll around the mattress hurting each other more so than attempting to be sexy. Jackson watched closely, completely enthralled by the rough behavior. Between the lingerie and Jack's still slightly oiled skin it was safe to say that it was quite the spectacle to watch.

"Yes," the mercenary nodded eagerly as he took another large swig from a bottle then proceeded to take off his pants, "yes I can certainly do this for a couple of days!" He started hurriedly undressing himself, fumbling from his poor, drunken coordination. "You guys can come with me! We're heading out stay on a ship at the abyss so pack for a week!"

Miranda instantly halted. Her chest heaved from both attacking Jack and defending herself from Jack. "….the Nemean Abyss?"

"Yeah…you've been there? That's kind of strange for a stripper…"

The ex-convict threw the unsuspecting Miranda off of the bed to land with a hard thump. "Oh look at the time, we gotta go! Shit my bad Jackson, I forgot we had an arrangement made with another merc at ten. But at least you got a free show, right?"

Miranda groaned as she lifted herself from the floor, icy orbs peering into the biotic's face while she spoke through clenched teeth. "Let's… go…now."

"B-but…Brunhilda, what about…so are you—"

Jack slapped Jackson's cheek a few times encouragingly, "Don't worry! There are plenty of strippers to bang here. See ya!"

The blond watched as both women scuffled out of the room hurriedly, leaving him with his pants pooled around his feet, a terrible ache, and mind boggling confusion.

Miranda wiped her lips repeatedly as she paced quickly back to the main room with Jack at her side. "If they're meeting a ship out in the Nemean Abyss the pick up zone will most likely be a dock on the Cartagena Station."

"You sure?"

"Not completely, but it's a good shot. It'll either be there or Tortuga."

"Fuckin' A! Shepard will be happy to hear that. O'Conner should already be up in June's room. We're a few minutes late so let's hurry up and snag Sanders. I've had enough with this damn mission."

"You and me both. Oh and Jack?"

"Don't even say it. I swear to God don't even repeat it. If you tell anyone about what happened in that room I will slaughter you."

"My sentiments exactly."

"You kiss like shit by the way. Poor London."

"I—you…ugh, it's not even worth it. Let's just go."

**xxxxxxx**

**Room 837**

**10: 05 P.M**

June's room was a large and well decorated suit. London was sitting on the edge of the bed, fiddling with her fingers quietly and waiting for the others to arrive as Kasumi remained cloaked and silent in the corner of the room. It was already five past ten and there was still no sign of Miranda and Jack. The sniper was beginning to grow nervous.

It wasn't until five minutes later that the bedroom door creaked open. "Oh God there you are," she exhaled happily as she saw Jack poke her head into the bedroom. "I was starting to worry. Did you get anything out of him?"

Jack nodded her head, "Yeah, they're going to the Nemean Abyss for the drop off. Cheerleader says they'll most likely rendezvous at the Cartagena Station."

"Where _is_ Miranda?"

The operative made her presence known by squeezing through the door after Jack. "I'm right here. Where's Sanders?"

"He hasn't shown up yet but it's only ten passed the hour. I'm sure he'll be around soon."

"And Kasumi?"

London pointed towards a corner of the room.

Miranda nodded. "I suppose we play the waiting game then."

"You won't have to play to long, ladies. Excuse my lateness." The older mercenary was fit for his age and surprisingly still rather muscular as he walked into his suit's bedroom. His brown hair had started to grey along side his beard. He was still fully armored, a M5 at his hip and some sort of assault rifle on his back. "I didn't really order you for myself so much as I did for a friend of mine. But he seems to be unable to make it this fine evening. Please, if you would be so kind as to step out of my bedroom and take a seat over in the living area. The couch should be comfortable while I make us some drinks."

London eyed the second murderer of her family closely. It surprised her when she found out that she no longer wanted blood. She just wanted answers. Her experience with Cavan changed her, scared her even. Ever since she had been caked in his blood, the reminder of the smell and feel of it was enough to keep her mind focused on what she was really fighting for. It wasn't vengeance. It was peace and closure. It was the same thing Shepard was fighting for: getting answers, protecting the innocents, and ending the experiments. She was tired of the violence. But she knew that Shepard needed answers before she could put up her rifle for good, and she was willing to wait another few weeks till she could find her peace of mind.

Three small drinks balanced easily in his large hands as he walked over towards the women. "So tell me ladies, how are you enjoying your night tonight?"

Miranda crossed one bare leg over the other, "The night has been good to us thus far."

June ran his eyes over their three faces as he gave each one a drink, "That is good to hear. Please, have a drink before we begin with _our_ night. You'll find that I'm not a man who enjoys intimacy in groups. Since I've been given the pleasure of having so many of you in my company, I think I'll enjoy a small sample of each individually. You," he pointed towards London, "go back into my bedroom and wait for me there. Leave the door open for me."

Miranda shot a glance at the overly calm sniper before turning back to June. "I'm sure you'd rather start with someone who knows that they're doing, Mr. Sanders. I'd be happy to go first."

The mercenary's eyes narrowed at the raven haired woman. "Hold your tongue. I wish to have _her_. I will alert you when your time has come. Now go," he shouted at London, pointing a thick finger towards his bedroom door.

London nodded her head without so much as a word and walked over towards the bedroom. She touched the green light at the door's center and let herself in, being sure to leave it wide open for Sanders to follow in pursuit. The mercenary looked over Miranda with distaste. "I will report back to your manager about your bedroom etiquette. I suggest you learn to not speak out of turn."

It took all the strength she had in her body to not snap at the older mercenary, "I…apologize, _sir_."

"That's more I like it. Now wait here until you are called."

Jack leaned over to whisper into the second in command's ear, "Kasumi went in with her."

June walked to his bedroom quickly, allowing himself to pass through the sliding door before locking it behind him, making sure the button at the center of its width glowed bright red. London was sitting on a lounge chair, legs crossed tastefully at the ankles as she watched his every movement. The mercenary observed her. Her face didn't seem to hold any emotions yet her eyes burned with intensity. "What do you want me to do," she asked.

"I want you to sit there. I have something for you."

"We are not allowed to accept gifts."

"I think you'll want this."

London watched as June reached into one of his armors' various pouches and pulled out what looked like a small holograph. He tossed it casually out into the air towards the brunette's open hands. When upon inspecting it her eyes widened. It was her family holo, the one she had left in the Afterlife's dressing room when she was forced to leave Omega in pursuit of her little sister. "But—"

"Cover yourself up, girl." His voice was rough and oddly disappointed. June knew exactly who she was. "You look the fool."

A large lump seemed to have caught itself in her throat as she forced down a hard swallow to wash herself of the prickles that seemed to take residence there. London folded her arms across her chest self consciously as she looked onto the older man with bewildered eyes. "H-how did you know?"

"Did you honestly think that none of the other Suns would alert me that three odd dancers were walking around and inquiring about whom I was and what I was doing? I asked one to take a holograph with their omni-tool. You weren't hard to recognize. Your body has changed since you were a girl…but I'd know those eyes anywhere. They're your mother's eyes."

London stood up then, said eyes narrowing as they glared onto him. "Do you know why I'm here?"

"I don't' know what the other two hope to gain from this little…excursion, but I can guess why _you_ are here, yes."

"Then talk."

June pinched the small area between his eyes and inhaled. "Watch your tone with me. The incident with your father and mother was…unfortunate. The demands were simple yet Sheadon would not relinquish the child."

"That's all you have to say?" London shook her head in disbelief, "After almost six years that's all you have to say? You called yourself my father's friend yet you murder him and his wife, ransacked our home, and still have the audacity a-and sheer _gall_ to deem it an unfortunate incident?"

"Your father knew the risks that he was taking the moment he stole that baby. He knew the way this business worked, London. Take what does not belong to you—what you have not paid for, and face the consequences. His actions could not be fixed. There was nothing I could do."

"There is always something that can be done!"

June face twisted into anger, "Some acts cannot be avoided when void of choice, _child_! Stop being a damned idealist. Do you think I took joy in watching events unfold as they did? Because if you do… than you would be sorely mistaken."

"You could have let them go!"

"I have family too!" June spat, his face turning red as he yelled at the young brunette. "I will not make them suffer nor condemn them to the same fortune because of another man's bad decision!"

"Bad decision? He saved a baby…a-a good man does not stand by and watch horrible things unfold onto another!"

Contemptuous laugher echoed throughout the hotel room, "Then let it be known to the world that your father was indeed a virtuous man! But I, girl, was the _wiser_ one."

"You were a _coward_."

June laughed once more, lowering his head to rub his eyes tiredly. "How inexperienced you truly are in the ways of the world. My conscious is clear. Your father paved his own path. I did what I could."

"And what was that? Kill him then walk away?"

"Yes," June said flatly. "It was exactly that."

"_Excuse_ me?"

June sneered, amazed at the twenty five year old _child_. "Everything is so simple to you isn't it? That man kills other men he _must_ be terrible, that man is a priest he _must_ be a saint. Wake up, girl. And when you do? Come back so we can have an adult conversation. Get out of my room and go. Take your friends with you. Go before I change my mind."

The nostrils nearly flared on London's nose as she walked up towards the mercenary and roughly pulled at his shoulder, forcing the man to face her. "You owe me an explanation!"

June sneered, roughly lifting his hand and violently taking the girl by her jaw. His old brown eyes smoldered through her entire being and suddenly it was like the sniper was twenty years old again and stuck under the boards of her father's bedroom, horror stricken and unable to move a finger. "I owe you _nothing_," he hissed through clenched teeth. "You owe _me_, girl. Why do you think Cerberus called off the search for you and the biotic prodigy? I told them in my report that you and the baby had been _finished_. They simply deemed the child as an unnecessary loss, but they had no regard for you, Sheadon's only daughter! _I did_. I cared what happened to you," June snarled and pushed the brunette away from his face harshly.

She stumbled back, twisting and falling to the floor. Gray eyes widened as she realized what it was June had just said. "You…you cared? You killed them…you killed them both…"

"Life is not so simple, London. It's hard. It's not just black and white." The mercenary exhaled and calmed his voice. "There are shades of gray…many, many shades of gray. Your father was like a brother to me. I did what I could think of and not only managed to get paid so that I could _feed_ _my_ _family_, but save Cerberus's name from implication AND spare both of your lives in the process. But you had to poke your head out again, didn't you? And in Omega of all places! Of course someone would take notice of the girl! And if someone noticed the girl they would know the data still existed somewhere!"

London's eyes reddened as she looked up towards his towering figure, a delicate hand rising up to massage her jaw. "Where was I supposed to go? I fled in terror because I still had a child to care for! I had _just_ turned TWENTY! I took what little credits we had and took the first shuttle out! I didn't know what else to do!" She had to take a breath to gather her nerve lest tears begin to fall down her cheek. "You _forced_ that decision upon me! You forced my life into changing!"

June's jaw tightened. Though he hated appearing soft the inflection in his tone lowered to a more tolerate one. Despite what London thought of him, he really didn't want the young woman to hurt. He turned around and leaned into a window's sill. "Listen, girl. There are many things given to us for the wrong reasons. There are many a dark path that we are sometimes forced to walk. It is what we choose to do with these unconventional gifts, it is the steps that we choose to take on our journey that define the kind of person we are. You father gave the chance at life to a child that was not his own. He made his own decisions and kept the courage to stay steadfast by his ideals the moment it mattered most. Perhaps he was a better man than I… but _my_ duty is to my family and _no_ _other_. I could never put anyone before them and _that_ is where your father and I truly differed. He chose what he was willing to sacrifice to save that one life, for the so called greater good."

London's eyes narrowed, already red and starting to show signs of puffing. "How…_dare_ you. You're saying all of this was his fault? My father loved his family!"

"Think what you will on the statement but answer me this: if the moment ever comes where you must choose between those you love and what is right…what and who would you decide upon? What are you willing to sacrifice for the greater good? I know _my_ answer. You need to find _yours_ before you deem me unfit for breathing. Now go."

Quaky legs gathered their strength as London pulled herself up to stand once more. "I can't. I'm …I still need information."

"Child, you are wearing my patience thin. It is twice now that I have given you the opportunity to leave, yet here you still stand. I suggest I not have to tell you a third time."

London remained defiant, her voice coming out way calmer than what she felt. "Who is the Buyer?"

June smiled tiredly, hanging his head with an irked exhale as he pressed his palms deeper down into the sill's wood grain. "Just like your father: Pig headed till the very end."

"Please, June. If there is a shred of any respect left in there for my family you will let me know where this 'Buyer' is. I need to finish this. I need to stop the kidnappings. I need to stop the experiments and protect my sister. I need to make sure that my sister stays safe. If not, then everyone that I have lost along the way will have been for nothing."

The older man swiveled around on his heel quickly, eyes narrowed in anger. "Are you antagonizing me purposely? If I have any respect left for you family? Watch what you say to me! It was out of respect for your family that you're even walking today. It was out of respect to your family that I've even been placed in this situation! Count your losses and just walk away. I can't tell you anything. My family's life is on the line. If I talk and they find out then they'll send others to come looking for me and my own. I, unlike your father, am not willing to risk that."

London's eyes looked almost pleading as she watched him with studied caution, "Come with me to meet the man I'm working for. I'm sure he can arrange for you and your family's security. There doesn't have to be anymore violence towards those who are innocent. You were going to retire anyways right? So why not call it quits one job early and just …just go and be _happy_ with your wife and kid? Let me finish this."

"How did you know I was retiring?"

"…because you sent it to Riley's omni-tool," she replied hesitantly.

June closed his eyes for a moment. "You killed him?"

"He deserved it."

There was a soft exhale that came from the mercenary. "That fucking idiot. Where's the chip?"

"I don't know."

"God damn it girl," he snarled. "Where is the fucking chip! This situation is _far more_ complicated than you could ever imagine! I need to recover and return that information! It's not just about cruel experiments. They aren't doing this for fun or for power! It's about survival! They're looking for something specific!"

London wanted to rip her hair out by this point. "I don't know where the damn chip is! I don't know what you're talking about! If you would just tell me what I need to know then I might be able to put one little piece of the puzzle together! If you would just answer a few of my commander's questions, I'm sure he'll be able to help you. He's a good man."

June clenched his jaw, realizing that arguing with this young woman would be no use. "Sorry, kid. But there's no happy ending in this job. Trafficking is illegal and is only one of the things I've had to do working for these blokes. I'm not leaving my wife and kid behind while I rot away in some jailor vessel. Now get out of here," he warned one, final time, taking his M5 from his hip and pointing it at the young woman. The blue laser dot rested steadily in between the sniper's eyes. "Don't make me do what I couldn't five years ago."

London lowered her eyes, "So you won't come with me? You won't try to help me in the slightest?"

"I'm not going anywhere."

"…I'm sorry to hear that. I was really hoping you'd go with me peacefully and that she wouldn't have had to do this."

June's bushy eyebrow quirked, clear confusion etched across his face. "She? What are you talking about?"

The brunette shook her head, voice soft as she looked back up to meet his gaze. "…now, Kasumi."

Kasumi uncloaked a second before she struck out with the small tranquilizer to the back of his neck. The mercenary roared, spinning around but instantly wobbling as his vision blurred. He swung out absentmindedly at the area surrounding himself before falling onto his knees and tipping. June was out cold.

The thief eyed London as she unlocked and opened the door, "That was cutting it a little bit to close, Lond. It was _way_ to close for my comfort."

"I'm sorry. I thought I could make him understand something—anything."

"Shepard, come in. This is Kasumi. June is down and we need immediate evacuation."

"Rodger that. Garrus and I are on our way. Sit tight, we'll be there in five minutes."

Miranda hastily walked up towards her girlfriend and had to restrain herself from cupping her cheeks, "Are you alright?"

London naturally leaned a little closer before taking the woman's hands in her own. "I am, don't worry. Do we have everything?"

Miranda looked over towards the thief who nodded quickly and replied, "We do. I've downloaded everything he had on him and sent it straight over to Shepard. He didn't bring back any cargo or new data so now all that needs delivering is Sanders himself."

London turned back to face Miranda then down towards the hands she was holding. "Where's my ring?"

Miranda closed her eyes briefly, "Shit. I didn't pick it back up. It's not important anyways; we didn't get anything particularly useful on it."

"What room were you in?"

"Second door on the left, but it doesn't matter. There was nothing useful on it, London," she said austerely.

The sniper's gray eyes rounded, "I asked you to be careful with it…it can be traced back to Afterlife. If the mercenaries find out and decide to take action Flex will get his ass handed to him. And if Flex gets his ass handed to him he'll take it out severely on the girls. I can't let that happen to Ayo. She can't afford to be hurt or lose the credits or job. She has a family. I have to go get it."

Lawson shook her head, "No, we're already scheduled for pick up. Shepard will be here any minute now. We have to go."

"I _can't_ do that to them. I can't do that to another family, I've already ruined one. I need to go get it."

Miranda leaned in, her jaw tightening. "I am _not_ leaving you here to get a damn ring when we are supposed to be heading back to the Normandy. I refuse. I am in charge while we are in this resort and my answer is _no_, Specialist O'Conner."

The brunette held onto her love's hands tightly, "You won't leave me. Listen, I can be back up on the party deck in two minutes. I'll snag the ring and go. Get June onto the shuttle and have Shepard pick me up outside of the resort in three minutes. I'll take the elevator down to the first floor and just walk out the exact same way we came in. Okay? I promise I'll be there."

"We can't—"

"_Please_, Operative Lawson…Miranda. I'm wasting time here when I could already be on the party deck."

Lawson shook her head as she looked onto the woman, her gut fighting with her every step of the way. London pleaded with her eyes and Miranda finally broke. "God damn it," she exhaled. "You get one minute to get up there and two minutes to get that ring and come down for pick up. No longer than that, do you understand? I swear to God, London. Go. Just go!"

London broke professionalism for the briefest of moments and pressed her lips against the operatives quickly before turning to run out of the suit room. Jack stared at the fleeing sniper with a dropped jaw, "Where the fuck is she going! Shepard is right there!"

Miranda turned to look out the balcony window then back to the door, "We'll pick her up in two minutes. Let's finish this job and get June into the shuttle without dropping him eighty three flights. Hurry up."

**xxxxxxx**

London ran as fast as she could down the hallway, legs pumping as she slammed into the second red door on the left. A familiar blond man was sitting there alone on the bed and rolling the small piece of jewelry in his palm. London exhaled loudly as she noticed it had not been taken. "I'm so glad someone found it," she said casually walking up towards the mercenary. "May I have it back?"

Jackson smirked as he continued to roll it around in his warm hand. "So this is yours, huh?"

London startled when she noticed three other men enter the door behind her, shutting it softly behind the last man. "May I have my ring back please? I need to go."

He ceased moving his hand and clenched his fingers tightly into a fist around the ring. "Do you think I'm an idiot?"

Gray eyes cautiously watched as one of the men positioned himself a foot behind her, the other two spreading out to her sides. "I don't think you're an idiot, no. I think you're a little bit tipsy and need to lie down, sir. So why don't you just give me my ring so you can rest a bit in this lovely room?"

Jackson shook his head, anger beginning to flare up in his eyes. "What was the plan? Record me then bribe me with it at a later date for a few extra credits? Are you just not making enough as a stripper? Were you going to give it to my boss so he could have me killed? Who are you? Are you working for someone? And what the fuck are you doing sending in two women to record my conversation?"

London smiled calmly, shaking her head in gentle protest. "I think you have me mistaken for someone else, sir. I'll just be going now. Excuse me."

"Oh no," Jackson said quickly, reaching out to take her forearm. "You're not going anywhere."

London looked down at the grasp he had on her and tugged in attempt to retrieve her arm back, "Release me, please."

"But I thought you wanted your ring back? So here, take your fucking ring!"

The mercenary slammed the fist containing the ring into London's mouth, sprawling the dancer backwards into another mercenaries arms. A small amount of blood flew onto the sheets in front of her. The taller man held her firmly as she gasped, flailing her legs out to make contact with Jackson's chest. He growled as he regained his balance. "Grab her legs!"

"No!" London screamed, struggling against the giant that was holding her torso and the other two men that halted her kicking. Jackson lifted the little silver piece of jewelry up to the same level as her eyes, holding it no further than two inches from her nose. "Why the fuck were you recording me?" His voice was eerily calm.

London's chest heaved heavily as she tried to remember to breathe and not panic. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Another closed fist came in contact with her face and she cried out as her head jerked to the side. "WHY WERE YOU RECORDING?"

The brunette shook her head, her left eye already beginning to swell shut. "I woke up this morning and felt like a voyeur? Honestly, I have no idea what you're talking about. It's just a ring."

Jackson clenched his jaw tightly. "Tie her down to the damn floor and make sure her omni-tool is off. We'll make her talk."

The smallest merc of the bunch eyed Jackson, "Sir, maybe we should just let her go? I don't think that this will make her talk. She doesn't know anything. It's just a ring to her! Maybe she didn't know anything about what it does. We shouldn't be hitting a woman. Or—"

"Man up, Carter. Shit like this happens in the business all the time. She's a spy and she wants information on my current gig. You know that what I'm doing is not for anyone's ears just yet."

"But sir, what if she doesn't? What if she isn't what you think she is?"

"Only one way to find out if she's telling the truth, isn't there? If by the time we're done and she's still saying the same thing…we'll let her walk and this was all just one big misunderstanding."

London's eyes widened while Carter shut his tightly as the other mercenaries ripped the woman from his grasp and tied her down. Her protests fell ill on their ears as they towered darkly over her.

**xxxxxxx**

Shepard had landed the shuttle in the nearby twenty minute landing zone right in front of the resort. Jack's eyes were shooting in all direction from her seat as she looked out the window, "It's already been fifteen minutes, Shepard. Where is she? Something ain't right."

Miranda had opened the shuttle door and was pacing frantically about, "I should have gone in to get her thirteen minutes ago. She's never late. Requesting permission to go back in, Commander?"

John strummed his fingers against the driver's wheel, "Denied. Give her a little bit of time. We don't want to get her in any kind of trouble. Even if you did give her two minutes, that's not nearly enough to walk through the place and take the elevator down to floor one. June will be knocked out for about an hour. We got time. Plus she has an omni-tool. If something happened she could call for back…_oh shit_."

All eyes turned towards the target of his concern. It was London. She had managed to stumble through the front doors and make her way out of the building. Her body was almost entirely bruised. Blacks, blues, and purples painted her tanned skin as she limped her way out in a general direction. Both of her eyes had been nearly pummeled shut, blood dripping from her mouth, nose, and various other parts of her swollen body. Her lingerie had been torn savagely and he had been forced to cover her breasts with her bruised arm while holding her panties up with her free hand, trying desperately to keep her dignity in tact as she moved. Every step seemed to cause pain: a gasp here, a stifled moan there.

Miranda, who was usually the most composed of the group, screamed out the woman's name frantically as she burst towards her in a frenzied sprint. "No, no, no, no, London!"

The brunette tried to smile through her severely busted lip as she extended a shaking hand out towards the operative's voice. She unraveled her fingers to reveal a tiny, silver ring that had its gem torn out of the middle. It was safe to say that it would never record again. "…I g-got it," she managed to say softly, a dribble of blood falling down her chin.

When Miranda finally positioned herself in front of the sniper London collapsed forward into her arms, blood smearing onto the XO's bare shoulder and chest. "_No, no, no_." Miranda slid to her knees with London in her arms, turning the woman so she should examine her face. The operative cradled her and hunched over the brunette protectively as she ran shaky finger tips along London's face. "London? Baby, can you look at me?"

London wanted to say something back but found that everything just hurt way too much to speak or move. Yet she could still listen; and when Miranda desperately called out to her, the loving term of endearment slipping from her plush lips and into the younger woman's bleeding ears, London saw colors behind her swollen eyelids. Who could ever imagine that a word so uncomplicated could turn darkness into a radiant spectrum of light?

_Baby_

When there was no reply Miranda turned her head over her shoulder and screamed towards the already running Shepard and Garrus. "She needs medical attention _now_!"

John stopped as he turned back around to get the vehicle closer, screaming out orders as he moved, "Garrus, pick O'Conner up and bring her into the shuttle! Get that medi-gel on her! Move it, people!"

Jack grabbed the unconscious June by the collar of his armor and threw his body on the far side of the shuttle with little thought. She needed to make room for the sniper and his old ass was just in the way. "Lay her down here along this seat. Fucking careful!

"Shit…she doesn't look so good."

Miranda kneeled down beside the brunette and took the woman's hand in her own, delicately making sure that all of London's most private parts were concealed from view. "She'll be fine," she said softly, refusing to let tears well up in her eyes. "We just need to get this shuttle moving. Let's go, damn it!"

Jack shook her head, "All of this for a fucking ring? Are you serious?"

Miranda could feel her chest tighten and a sob stuck at the base of her throat. "It's my fault. I left it on the nightstand, she asked me to be careful with it and…I completely forgot about it and—"

"Hey shut up, Cheerleader. You didn't know this shit would happen. There was nothing important recorded. The stupid piece of crap wasn't significant at all. She shouldn't have gone back, you _told_ her not to go back.'

"It was important for _her_. I shouldn't have forgotten. I should have gone to get it myself."

Jack rolled her eyes, "Are you going to wallow in this self pity shit all day or are you going to actually help her? Put this medi-gel on, hurry. Slather that shit."

Miranda nodded, not being able to come into her own business like mind as she applied the gel carefully to the broken body.

The biotic eyed the sniper carefully, "She'll be alright. She's a tough bitch."

**xxxxxxx**

**The Normandy**

**12 A.M**

**Communications/Debriefing Room**

"I would have never expected that the girl was working for _you_, Commander Shepard. That certainly puts me in a very compromising situation."

"June, I'm not here to play games with you. You've been sending me on one hell of a goose chase so this is how this is going to work this time around: I ask a question and you answer it. If you don't answer it, I'll punch a god damned hole in your face with my fist and then turn you over to C-Sec without blinking."

"It's not that simple for me, Shepard. Beat me the hell up all you want, you know how this business works. If I tell you where they are then they target my family and that is simply unacceptable. My family doesn't know about the affairs I deal in. And right now what I'm dealing in is very, very covert."

"I'll get safe passage from the Alliance and have them relocated."

"Don't play stupid, Commander. With enough credits anyone can be found relocated or not. And believe me when I say that the people I work for have more than enough."

John placed the flat of his palms on the large table as he leaned in, "Who is the man you're working for?"

June chuckled darkly, "It's not just one guy, Shepard. The 'Buyer'? Yeah I don't even know how that caught on. There is a guy who goes around doing the purchases but he answers to several people just like I do. There's a ton of them spread throughout the system and supposedly they're all important big wigs. Each hive they created holds a small amount of personnel that's in charge of gathering some sort of information. I couldn't tell you who the boss was even if I wanted to. I get paid through some sort of joint account. I don't ask questions."

"You were charged with the transportation of an item from the ExoGeni Corporation. They specialize in discovering artifacts and Prothean relics as well as founding and funding new colonies. What was it that you transported?"

"I don't know. I don't look inside the package; I just deliver it to the proper person so that they can take it back to their assigned hive."

"What's this hive you keep talking about?"

June sighed, "It's a collection of four specifically chosen people that are assigned to do research and testing on two hand picked subjects on a small, secluded facility away from other hives."

"What are they testing?"

"From what I can tell they're testing some sort of factor in a biotic's genetic make up. I don't know the details. I'm not a scientist. I just know that if they don't get that chip with all of that girl's data on it…we're fucked. All of us."

"What's so damn special about this girl's data?"

"Once again: I don't know. I only hear the scientist rant occasionally. I've heard him say that there's an abnormality in her genetic pool that determines some sort of missing factor. I don't know why she's the only one who has it and don't ask me on what that factor is because… _I. Don't. Know…_ It's my job to transport and protect the cargo and that's it."

"Where is your hive?"

"I can't tell you that."

John grinned, "Of course you can, June. I already know it's in the Nemean Abyss. I just need to know what vessel you're flying around in."

"If you know then you really don't need me do you, Shepard? This is a state of the art ship; I'm sure you can do a few scans and find what you're looking for all by yourself."

"Don't be a smart ass, Sanders. Quite frankly I'm getting tired of hearing you say _I don't know. _So tell me the one damn thing you do know and let me go get the answers for myself. Let me in on the secret and I'll have your family relocated. Keep playing hard to get and I'll find your family regardless."

June's eyes narrowed, "You wouldn't do it."

John lowered his gaze to meet June at the same level, his expression ruthless when he opened his lips. "Do you intend to really find out?"

"Fuck you, Shepard."

"I was hoping you'd say that." John popped his knuckles as he sat down on a chair next to the mercenary and took out a data pad. "Lilibeth A. Sanders, wife to June Sanders and mother to little Noah J. Sanders. Currently located in New Jericho on plant Joab. Latitude—"

"You motherfucker, you won't touch a hair on their heads!" The mercenary had been tied to a bolted chair, unable to lash out at the calm commander.

"You aren't the only guy with resources, Sanders." He flopped the pad down onto the desk and pushed it towards the older mercenary. "I have friends in ridiculously high places and information of this sort is not hard to come by. Tell me what I want to know and you can shove that pad where the sun doesn't shine. I'll forget all about what I read. Don't tell me what I want to know…and I'll be paying Mrs. Sanders a visit very shortly," he fibbed, "I'm sure she'd love to hear about how her husband is currently rotting away in prison because he was too big of a dumb fuck to talk when given the chance."

The room was silent for a long time. June's ragged breathing was the only thing that echoed softly throughout the four walls. "Fine. Okay, I'll tell you where my hive is. But you promise that you get my family out of there and locate them some place safe. Fuck, you better relocate them every three months until I can watch them myself."

"Consider it done. Tell me where the hive is and I'll make that call before I set a foot off of this ship."

"…it's a small vessel loaded up on element zero out in the Nemean Abyss. It docks on the first of every month on Tortuga for fuel and supplies but never strays to far from the planet itself. If you're planning to hop on that ship, you're only chance of doing it is on the first of next month. That's only a few days from now. It's called the SS Atlantis. It's not affiliated with any known logo or organization that I know of. Four people per hive. On mine was me, Riley, a head scientist named Parker and his assistant…I don't remember his name, he doesn't speak much outside of the testing room."

Satisfied with the response the Commander got onto his feet. "That'll do. I'll have Officer Taylor make a place for you in our holding room until I find out what you're telling me is the truth. You'll be contacted as soon as your family is relocated to safety."

June seemed to exhale, wary eyes looking over the man beside him, "….thank you, Shepard."

"I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it for the woman who doesn't know what a poor excuse of a man she married."

**xxxxxxx**

**1 A.M**

**Medical Bay**

Dr. Chakwas strolled over towards the small group of Normandy crew and gave them all an encouraging smile. Much to the good doctor's surprise not only had Jack stayed committed to waiting for the news, but Kasumi, Miranda, Garrus, Kenneth, Gabby, Tali, and Kelly had too. Everyone was genuinely concerned and it had made Helen smile to know how close some of the Normandy's crew mates had really gotten. Commander Shepard and his ship was truly a place where the weary could rest their heads. They didn't all always have time to 'hang out' on a day to day basis; it was a working vessel after all, but the thought was there and even between so many conflicting personalities they had become a strange little family.

"Everyone can rest easy. Specialist O'Conner will be just fine. She was lucky in that there was no internal bleeding. She was unlucky in that I had to wrap her abdomen because she had several fractured ribs. I also had to set several fingers, a shoulder, and leg. Honestly the outside appearance looks much worse that what actually happened. Her skin needs time to mend the bruising and cuts, medi-gel can only do so much at once. I've managed to greatly reduce the swelling on her face and around her eyes, but she needs to rest. I advise that you all send your best regards from out here and allow her to do so. She may be up for speaking to everyone tomorrow, but for now let's just all leave her be."

Several of the crew members passed by the bay window and sent her silent little 'get well soon' wishes while Jack simply nodded her head approvingly. "I told you she was a tough bitch."

"Miranda, may I speak with you a moment, dear?"

The operative nodded her head as she was pulled off into a private corner to speak quietly, "I didn't wish to say this in front of the others but I need to discuss something of importance with you. It's come to my attention that you and London have become an item, correct?"

Miranda's eyes narrowed, "What is this discussion pertaining to, Dr. Chakwas?"

"Ah-ah," Helen lifted her hand to calm the woman, "I am not commenting on the relationship, it is none of my business. However, I may be old but I am not blind. If my observations have been accurately interpreted and if my conclusion is correct, then I would have you do something for me. If I am wrong, however, then please let me know so that I may treat London myself. I would rather spare the woman any embarrassment if at all possible. I know that matters of this nature are delicate enough as it is for her."

Cerulean orbs gazed onto the older woman in confusion, "Helen, I'm afraid you've lost me. Why would I have to treat her? What embarrassment would she undergo? I am not unwilling to help, it's quiet the opposite actually. I'm just confused as to what you're getting at."

Dr. Chakwas sighed sorrowfully, "London is suffering from severe bruising and some bad gashes all over her body. They virtually punched and kicked her everywhere."

Miranda shook her head, her tone soft and concerned. "Okay?"

"_Everywhere_, Ms. Lawson. She is bruised and I need to have this salve applied to ensure that she heals properly and that any cuts that may have formed in the region heal as they should. An infection would be horrid. I would have you spare her the embarrassment of me doing it when she cannot do it herself. She can't even move her arms without crying out. I have come to know that she trusts you. I do not mean to put you on the spot like this and if you are unwilling or uncomfortable to help then by all means please—"

"Where is the salve so that I may get it and apply it right away? You were correct in saying that matters of this nature are already a delicate subject for her. I will do it."

Helen sighed in relief, "Wonderful. The salve is on the nightstand in her bedroom. The one in the purple container is for her nether regions, and the one in the green container is for the rest of her body. The green has already been applied; she is just missing the purple. She has requested that she be moved to her quarters to rest instead of the medical bay. There is nothing more I can do for her, regardless. She just needs time for her body to restore itself naturally. If you are to do this until she can do it herself, Ms. Lawson, then take note that both salves have to be applied every day for immediate results."

"Understood, Dr. Chakwas."

A small smile graced Helen's lips as she turned around to order her patient to be moved accordingly. Miranda reached out to touch her shoulder before quickly withdrawing her hand, "I…thank you, Helen. Not only for speaking to me on this matter in private but…for everything. You saved my life a while ago and I realized I never properly expressed my gratitude. So thank you. Your work does not go unnoticed."

Chakwas nodded her head politely, "You are very welcome, my dear. I'll have London sent to her quarters in a few moments. Please be there within the hour."

**xxxxxxx**

**1:30 A.M**

**Portside Observation/ London's Quarters**

By the time Miranda had arrived London had already been situated into her bedroom. The dancer was still in her medical gown, lying in her bed and on her back, several pillows slightly propping her up for comfort. Her eyes were shut and she didn't look as bad as she did on Omega. Her body was still swollen and large bruises patched her skin in various places, but at least the blood was gone and her wounds were closed. Miranda's heels clicked lightly against the floor as she made her way over towards the bed. She paused momentarily to examine the contents of the purple container and read what it was composed of; double checking to ensure it wouldn't be harmful towards the sensitive genital area. When she was satisfied with the ointment she placed it back onto the stand and ever so gently made her way to lie down next to the brunette.

London stirred and a pair of puffy eyes half opened as her head tilted to look at the only other person besides Teagan who would ever get into her bed without her permission. Her busted lips parted and a puff of air slipped through in the form of a simple 'hi'. Miranda leaned in to press her lips gently against the woman's temple before laying her head right beside the brunette's. "Don't ever do that to me again, do you understand? If I say no then I bloody well mean no. Okay?" London never saw the single tear that fell from Miranda's eye, but she could hear the concern and sadness in her love's tone. The dancer gave a feeble nod as she whispered 'yes ma'am'.

Miranda sniffed and cleared her throat, nodding as she carefully reached over to grab the purple canister. "London, Dr. Chakwas said that this ointment needed to be applied and asked for me to be the one to do it since you're unable to treat yourself currently."

Lawson could see London's cheeks turn a faint pink.

If one were to really, really think about the situation, one would have to acknowledge the incredible amount of trust you would have to place in the other individual who's treating their most private of places. The position leaves you vulnerable, susceptible to both emotional and physical pain.

"She told me," the sniper said weakly. "It's okay…I trust you."

A cool, clear gel was squeezed out into the ring, middle, and index fingers of the operative's right hand. Miranda retook her place beside the dancer and laid her body down. She placed tender kisses on London's neck, cheek, and temple as the hand slipped its way under London's medical gown and hovered just above her pelvis. "It's going to be a little cold and you might feel a tiny sting, okay?"

When given the nod of acceptance Miranda lowered her hand onto the slightly swollen mound. London's body twitched at the touch which in turn caused a wince and unhappily whimper of pain, but the constant stream of calming kisses relaxed the brunette's body once more. Miranda was tender in her touch, making sure to apply the ointment to the entirety of the woman's groin and outer labia. When the gel had warmed in her palm, the operative's hand froze. "We're almost done," she swallowed, "…ready?"

London certainly didn't feel ready; her nether regions stung badly and she realized that there must have been a cut or two. No matter, she still nodded her head as she tried to open her legs a bit further. The recently dislocated leg screamed in protest, still sore from being set by Dr. Chakwas. The XO objected immediately, whispering lovingly to not move and strain herself. London nodded, just bending her other leg slightly to offer more room for the operative's hand.

Miranda needed London to know that she could do this task; that she was able to take care of the dancer and not let her own insecurities get in the way when it mattered most. It was a shame that this had to be the first time her hands were able to explore this part of her girlfriend's body, but life has a way of twisting and turning in the most awful of ways sometimes. Nether regions or not, insecurity or not, Miranda would overcome and was in this for the long haul. And even if she couldn't vocalize that, she would make sure that every action, every expression, every pore oozed dedication for this younger woman. She also prayed that she wouldn't hurt her as she separated the tender folds with her thumb and ring fingers while slowly sliding her middle and index fingers in to apply the gel.

Instantly she could feel a small ridge on the inside of the lips and determined it to be an old scar from when London worked at Afterlife. She could also feel London stiffen beside her and Miranda leaned to place several more kisses along the woman's neck and profile. Velvet cushions glided along the brunette's earlobe and whispered words of support and acceptance as she carefully applied the ointment to the inner labia. When she felt that she had successfully finished, the operative carefully removed her fingers and then her hand from the region entirely. London felt as the body warmth next to her own suddenly left and the dancer sighed at the loss of it.

Miranda had gone over to towards the counter beneath the juice bar and removed her gloves and washed her hands of excess medication, quickly turning back around after drying them off. "Does it feel okay?"

"Better," London breathed out. "Will you stay?"

A fond smile fell on the operative's mouth as she went to lock the portside observation's door. Before she got back into bed, Miranda was sure to take off her boots then, much to the dancer's surprise, removed her uniform and bra much like last night. She also untied the small string that held the medical gown up around London's neck, slowly and ever so carefully sliding it down the sniper's body to remove the flimsy piece of cloth completely. It was only then that Miranda got back into the sheets, allowing the warmth of her body to melt into the others. A graceful hand reached out to grasp the comforter and smoothly tossed it over the both of them.

"That medical gown is useless. I'll be sure that you're wearing proper clothing tomorrow."

When the younger woman didn't reply Miranda pressed a kiss into London's not dislocated shoulder before sliding under that arm and pushing herself lightly into the brunette's side. She was careful to watch for distress but found none on the dancer's face, assuming London simply enjoyed the body heat and found the close proximity soothing. After requesting that the lights in the quarters be turned off, Miranda pressed her nose into the London's neck. "Goodnight, London."

"…I liked it by the way," the tiny, breathy voice said out into the darkness.

"Liked what?"

"…when you called me baby earlier… I liked it." London could feel the long, black eyelashes that fluttered open against her neck. There was pure silence for a moment.

"…Miranda?"

The operative's heart was beating quickly as she swallowed against the dryness of her throat, "Yes?"

London closed her eyes and pictured Ayo in her mind. "I need to tell you something," she said taking a shaky breath and wincing slightly.

Miranda listened carefully, her eyes darting around in the dark and not knowing what to expect.

"I know you've been hurt," the brunette started delicately, being sure to breathe evenly, "and I know it's been hard and I know that it's been lonely. I know that people close to you have broken your trust and abused your love and friendship…"

The operative blinked, not knowing why her girlfriend was bringing up such a tender topic so late at night and out of the blue. "London?"

"I would never—I _could_ never do that to you. I cherish your trust. What you have given me the privilege of seeing and knowing, this beautiful and intimate side of such an amazing individual…I don't take that lightly. You've let me into some of your most private of places and I truly treasure what you've given me. And I want you to know," she inhaled, ignoring the incredible pain in her ribs, "that you never have to be afraid again. When you're hurting, I'll help ease the pain. When times get hard, I'll make the load lighter I **swear** I will. You'll never be lonely again because I will always be here for as long as you'll have me. You are my best friend and…and you are my heart. I love you, Miranda. I love you and I just needed you to know that."

London's heart was thumping loudly in her chest when she couldn't even hear Miranda breathing in the darkness, but when velvet lips were suddenly crushed against hers, the dancer startled. Miranda didn't know what she had ever done in her life to deserve such a person, but she was in no mood to ponder the question when salt was tasted on her tongue. Their mouths danced with each other and the slow realization that those tears… those salty tears were _her_ tears. When did this happen? When had Miranda begun to cry silently?

London could feel Miranda's urgency and need so she let the kiss continue despite her own swollen and stinging lips. One gave the other her frustrations and sadness, and the other in return offered her passion and madness; madness for _her_. It was a gratifying albeit insanely intense moment. But when Lawson got carried away and bit down lightly onto the plush piece of flesh, London yelped which in turn caused an uncomfortable ache in her ribs and mouth. "Lip, lip, lip!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Miranda called out rapidly, shouting for the lights to turn on so she could assess the damage she caused. She calmed somewhat upon seeing nothing but the corner of London's swollen lip curled into a gentle smirk.

Is this what it felt like? London had never felt so…_alive_, loved, or trusted. She only hoped that she gave those feelings to Miranda too as she raised a gentle palm and caressed the side of the operative's cheek. "I've always been a cautious individual, you know that. When I was younger my father used to tell me that I had to be careful with whom I gave my trust and love to. 'The universe is full of so many that would take advantage of your kindness,' he would say. But you…you deserve everything that I have to give and everything I don't have but still _want_ to give."

Lawson's eyes were red and the evidence of tears was apparent on her cheeks. Miranda had wiped them away before they could have been seen of course, but it was enough to show London that Miranda had absorbed and understood her message and the truthfulness behind her words.

"Then again," she added with a smile, "my father is the same man that _also_ used to say 'London, you're never allowed to date anyone who is in a band. Stay away from drummers. Something about having rhythm makes their sperm stronger.'"

Suppressing a chuckle was no use and Miranda laughed, her melodious tone making London's eyes water with its sweetness.

Little moments like these are what made life good. It's rather silly, isn't it? One could go through a lifetime of sadness, loss, and betrayal; but when some mad individual stumbles into your life and offers nothing more than a smile, or hug, or kiss …they make it better. The heaviness of the load will never truly disappear, but the weight always miraculously gets lighter, easier to hold.

After examining each other's well being and smiling like idiots the entire time, Miranda finally called for the lights to shut off again. She found her place against the nook of London's neck and exhaled contently. The warmth that built between them was so comfortable it only took the sniper moments more to fall into a deep sleep. Miranda stayed awake for a little bit longer though, running her fingertips along London's chest and making lazy patterns underneath their comforter.

"Goodnight_,"_ she whispered into the brunette's ear, _"_sleep well and happy dreams_…_my love_."_

**

* * *

**

_This is the way my world ended, not with a bang but with a whisper. Everything known to me shattered and then, with nothing more than the dulcet sound of her mere breathing was made whole again, made new._

[End 28: June]

* * *

_A/N: Whose words were those at the end, I wonder? I'm not even entirely sure that __**I**__ know._

_In some important news: Dragon Age 2 comes out tomorrow so I will be taking a two week hiatus to play the hell out of it. Arc 2 of my story is coming to its end, and the final arc of this entire fan-fiction will begin shortly as well. _

_I want to thank each and everyone one of you who has subscribed, added to their favorites and reviewed. You guys are just so wonderful and have been the very reason why I continue this little catastrophe of a fanfiction. I know right now it might be confusing, but I can promise you by the very end of it all you'll be like 'OOOOOH'._

_I also realized that I can't post anymore chapters to 'A Life in Full' without giving away major spoilers to this story. So even though I already have two chapters ready to go, I won't be posting them until this story is finished (which it's close enough to being finished). _

_And I'm such a cheeseball for fluff and romance…I know it's terrible. I'm terrible. It's so fluffy in here I can hardly breathe._

_*deletes this story*_

_I also had a question for everyone, and I'd like it very much if you answered. What do you think Jack is in terms of ethnicity? Do you think she's of French, German, Irish, English, Spanish, ect ect ect blood? _

_Please hit the review button and let me know your answer as well as anything else that needs to be said (if any)._


	29. Outcomes and Arrivals, Part I of II

_**Author Note**__: Welcome to the 29th Chapter of the very put off Fight for the Lost! There will be A LOT going on because I'm starting to merge the 'Buyer' storyline as well as the final arc story-line (yes, they go together!). I suggest you re-catch up by going so far as to re-read or skim the last SIX chapters just so that you're not confused about what's happening. _

_I've decided to place this chapter a few days after the occurrences in 28. Don't worry, all the blanks will be filled as we go along through the story. _

_Also, please excuse any errors if you've encountered them as I do not have a Beta Reader. If you find something that is just absolutely intolerable, please let me know and I'll be sure to correct it. Thanks!_

* * *

Admiral Steven Hackett, Alliance HQ.

_Commander Shepard, I need to discuss a sensitive matter with you privately._

_We have a deep cover operative that was captured out in Batarian space. Her name is Doctor Amanda Kenson. Doctor Kenson recently reported that she found evidence of an imminent Reaper invasion. I need you to infiltrate the prison and get her out of there. As a favor to me, I'm asking you to go in alone and keep this quiet. The Batarians are just looking for an excuse, Shepard. If they see a fully armed team going in under a logo they'll open fire and deem it as an act of warfare. Go in with discretion. With the Reaper threat in one hand, the last thing we need is war between us and them. The prison is hidden underground at an outpost on Aratoht. I'll upload the coordinates now. Once Kenson is secure, confirm her discovery. We'll debrief when you're back._

_Hackett out._

* * *

[Chapter Twenty-Nine: Outcomes and Arrivals, Part I of II]

**[The Armory, 10AM]**

"Okay something is totally going on. Shepard just up and left June in his holding cell with only a few more days till we hit his hive? Nuh-uh. What gives? I thought we were supposed to be taking him back into the Terminus System for trial that way we could get our infiltrate on. Why the pit stop at the Viper Nebula?"

"Kasumi, if the Commander felt it best that he keep his new, current objective classified then you know what? It probably _is _for the best."

"You don't think that's odd, Jacob? You don't think it's weird that Mr. Teamwork himself suddenly decides to go and get dropped off on some strange Batarian planet claiming that he needs to get something done _alone_?"

Jacob shrugged lightly, "No. I don't."

"Why! I mean _hello, _have you seen the team he's put together? We're _awesome_-we put the freaking 'awe' in awesome! There's a Krogan in the lower decks that could punch a hole through someone's face and Shepard decides it best to go solo? _Riiiight._."

"Kasumi," Jacob warned softly. "The Commander knows what he's doing."

"I know that! Of _course _he knows what he's doing...I just wanna know _why_ he's doing it and why _we're_ not involved."

The ex-Cerberus officer groaned in protest, "Do you absolutely _have_ to know?"

"Hi, my name is Kasumi. It's so nice to meet you."

"Ka-"

"-Jacob, when do I _not _have to know?"

"Valid point. But just how are you going to find out?" Jacob trusted the Commander and would never be one to question his methods or orders, but something about the quirky expression on Kasumi's face really did cause a vague amount of curiosity to spring forth. He couldn't tell if it was because he was curious as to what the Commander was up to, or if he just wanted to see if Kasumi could really find out.

"Who else besides myself has a knack for spying and gathering a little harmless information every now and then?" Kasumi looked to her boyfriend with one of her straightforward '_duh' _expressions. When there was no reply the thief groaned, "You _should_ know as well as I do that Miranda put enough bugs in the Commander's Cabin to start a colony."

"...she never took those out? I thought she said that she removed those."

"Seriously," Kasumi deadpanned. "Have you met _anyone_ aboard this ship? I love you, sweetie, but you have _got_ to play catch up!" Jacob stared at his love in confusion, blinking as she roughly patted him on the cheek before quickly walking past the giant, sliding exit doors. Kasumi's destination? Miranda.

**[Miranda's Office, 10:30AM]**

"Miranda, we know you've got the place wired. Spill." Kasumi had the flat of her palms against the operative's desk, leaning forward and casting an interested gaze upon the raven haired woman who seemed almost oblivious to any presence.

"I already tried, Squinty. The Ice Queen is being extra frosty today." Jack crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back against the armchair by Miranda's desk. She casually threw her boots on top of its surface, dirt (or something similar to it) from their grubby, rubber soles flaking off onto some of the XO's paperwork. Miranda flicked her eyes to the offending feet and miraculously managed to keep her eyebrow from twitching in irritation.

"Come on, Miranda. You're our second-in-command, and as two of your specialists I think we have the right to know if we're about to get pulled into anything." As soon as the words left her lips Kasumi knew it was the wrong tactic to pull, a soft grunt the resulting sound of her methods.

"Goto, it's your job to be pulled into any and everything that the commander sees fit. You agreed to the terms of serving with us. The possibility that we _might_ be heading into danger _now_ should not prove to hold much shock value for you, correct?" Miranda kept her voice level and eyes glued to her terminal, slender fingers typing away at her morning report.

Kasumi sighed and stood straight, changing her gaze to look towards the convict instead. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Jack countered, almost defensively. "If I fuckin' knew anything do you think I'd be here with the Precious Princess? No. Shepard blew me off." She clenched her jaw tightly and pushed her tongue against the roof of her mouth, a new habit that formed recently now that she was learning to watch her temper.

Kasumi looked at the woman almost wide-eyed. "Shepard...blew you off?"

Jack exhaled sharply through her nose, a half-assed shrug being her only response.

The thief cocked her head to the side, watching as the tattooed, slender woman looked out the small window across from her seat as if trying to process.

_"Shepard, I know we've been workin' our goody-goody asses off trying to catch the bad guys and everything, but do you remember what I asked for back at the Citadel a few weeks ago?"_

_"Of course I do, Jack. Why?"_

_"You told me that a lot of the files went missing but that you'd be sure to ask the Cheerleader to look for them when 'the time was appropriate'. I'm wonderin' if you've asked her yet. I'd do it myself but you know that her and I don't exactly exist well together."_

_John lowered his eyes and shifted, "I know this is probably really important to you, but I haven't been able to ask just yet. It's been a little stressful, I'm not going to lie. But I promise that I __**will **__see to it that we find out everything we can about-"_

_"Commander Shepard," Kelly suddenly said in her usual regal manner, "Forgive the interruption, but Admiral Steven Hackett from Alliance HQ has sent a message to your private terminal. It is presented as urgent and requires your attention immediately. He has requested that you review its contents in privacy."_

_Jack looked up at the intercom system in annoyance before lowering her gaze back onto her boyfriend expectantly. Shepard sighed and shrugged apologetically before looking over towards his terminal. "Let me just take care of this message then-"_

_"Forget it, Shepard. Just forget all about it. At this rate I'll never get what I'm looking for. I was stupid to ever ask someone like you." She turned away from him, eyebrows furrowing in hurt. She knew that John loved her, and she knew that he was busy, but it still stung every time he chose to run away and save the world instead of helping her with something that would take an hour tops. _

_"Jack come on, you know how crazy it's been for us lately..." _

_John reached out to gently take hold of Jack's forearm and she paused, frozen by the touch and the unwillingness of her feet to move. "It must get pretty tiring playing wonder-boy all the time, eh? Look, don't worry about it. I'll do it myself. I was doing everything by myself before you came along, it ain't gonna kill me to do it alone now." Jack made sure to exit the room before he had the chance to make her feel bad about her choice of words. She had the upper hand in this guilt trip and like hell she would back off now._

"Hello? Normandy to Jack, come in Jack." Kasumi snapped her fingers and Jack brought up her eyes. "I was asking why Shepard blew you off? That doesn't sound much like him. What happened?"

"The fuck, Kasumi? I said I didn't know anything. I was talking to him in his cabin and then Kelly said some shit about a message. Then he put on his serious face and big boy pants and starting working. I left the room and that's the last time I saw him before he launched himself onto that planet alone."

Kasumi took a few steps towards the tattooed woman and leaned in, "What'd the message say?"

"Are you deaf, dumb, or stupid? I _just_ said that I walked out. I didn't hear the message. I just know it was from that asshole Hackett."

"Hackett, hmm?" Ignoring the wave of insults Kasumi then turned back towards the operative. "If it involves the Alliance you know what's going on. Drop the act, Miranda. You know everything that happens on this ship! What did Hackett tell Shepard? What's going on down on that Batarian planet?"

Miranda shrugged nonchalantly and simply continued typing away. It was only when Jack cracked a huge smile that Miranda's eyebrow involuntarily twitched-a tick that only occurred in annoyance when Jack was around.

"Holy shit."

Kasumi turned to eyeball Jack, switching back and forth between the two women. "What? What happened?"

"She _really_ doesn't know!" Jack slapped her knee in amusement and let a little cackle slip. "Ms. Fuckin' Nosey herself doesn't know what's going on and it's _killing _her!"

"Oh shut up, Jack." Miranda countered, her fingers beginning to move faster and a little harder along the keyboard.

Kasumi's eyes widened. "Oh my God. You really don't know, do you?"

After several moments of silence Miranda finally exhaled bitterly. "It took him long enough, but Shepard must have found and disabled the last of my bugs. There are only so many places they can be installed in a cabin that size, so I didn't hear anything nor do I know what it's about. Shepard only said one thing, and that was for Joker to be listening in for pick up. He'll probably explain it later when he has the time. He seemed rushed."

"I just wonder what _it _is," Kasumi sighed.

"Use your knowledge and skills of deduction. Any idiot can do that," Miranda waved-off coldly. "It's not like we're completely clueless. If the message was from Hackett and brought forth under the Alliance HQ seal then it's most likely a special objective meant to be kept in low key - which makes sense considering its located on a _Batarian_ planet. What do we know about the Batarians?"

Jack shrugged. "They're assholes and in urgent need of a dentist?"

Miranda rolled her eyes, "Kasumi?"

"We're not on the best footing with them. No one is, really."

"Exactly. Relations with the Batarians are shaky, so whatever it is that Hackett needed will most likely require to be carried out quietly and efficiently. I don't understand why it would call for a _solo_ operation when this team has proven that its more than capable to undergo such missions in numbers of only two or three, but then again I gave up trying to understand the Alliance's logic a long time ago."

"I'm sure the Alliance would be doing much better if _you_ were in charge. Right, Cheerleader?"

"Isn't there a zoo somewhere that you'd feel more at home at, Jack?"

Kasumi rolled her eyes and quietly backed out of the conversation, knowing exactly how long these mini-verbal battles could go on for. Jack grinned and wiggled herself deeper into her seat, slumping back in defiance. "Nah, I'm actually gettin' kinda' comfy here. Thanks. But shouldn't _you _be visiting your lesbo-lover soon? Didn't you finally promise her a visit or some shit? Isn't it about that time when she's actually awake from all those meds they pump into her?"

Miranda quickly looked at the time on her terminal and groaned.

"You know you wanna see her, Cheerleader. Stop putting it off because you've gotten all crazy over what happened at the resort. She got hurt, big deal. It won't be the last time one of us takes a little hit in the middle of one of Shepard's crazy ass missions."

Kasumi nodded, "Jack's actually right, Miranda. She's been stuck in that bed for days and you haven't seen her _once_ since after Chakwas gave us the okay."

"So?" Miranda managed to answer indifferently even though it felt as if her insides were about to implode.

"So," Kasumi pushed, "it's starting to look really bad on your end."

Jack shrugged, "Especially since the midget gave her that verbal lashing and she's all-"

"Drop it, Jack. Stop acting like you care about her or her sister or _anyone_ for that matter. And as for you Kasumi, when our relationship becomes your problem-either one of your problems, I'll take your advice into consideration."

"Sensitive are we? Bad subject to bring up?"

"I said _to drop it_, Jack."

"Looky here, Princess, I actually like the stripper...and as much as it mind-fucks me, she seems to really like the pain in the ass that is you too. Love even. You've been shitty to her these last few days without so much as a word spoken. Now go get your crazy together and go see her. You can't avoid her forever."

"You. Out. _Now_. Both of you."

The thief crossed her arms while giving Miranda an unconvinced look before turning to leave. Jack inhaled slowly and stretched her arms out in a leisurely manner, arching her back and releasing a mighty yawn. "Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you wanna get all pretty for her. I got places to go anyways." The convict stood up and turned around, her eyes quickly darting towards Miranda's desk drawers before looking back at the operative, "By the way, that was my nice way of saying you look like shit. Fix it."

"Coming from a bald, badly dressed woman, I'll take you not liking the way I look as a compliment."

"Whatever. Just go pluck your eyebrows or something, Frida."

**[Holding Room, 12PM]**

This particular room was colder than most, darker too. It was small and Jack was sure that it was probably less than comfortable for the man cuffed to the metal chair. He was slumped over, his head hanging while he mumbled quietly to himself in what sounded like prayer. Several days had passed since his capture. There were deep purple bags underneath his eyes, and dark red marks all around his wrists, the skin on the verge of breaking and bleeding. Shepard had offered to patch them up on several occasions, but the mercenary had refused. Whether it was pride or punishment, no one could really tell what his reasons for declining were. It may not look it, but cuff wounds can grow to be excruciatingly painful if not treated and padded properly. Jack would know of all people.

June was a curiosity for the ex-convict. He was difficult to read in comparison to other Joe-blows and as a result Jack found herself wandering down into his holding room once or twice a day since his arrival. Majority of the time they just observed each other with studied silence, but sometimes he would indulge the young woman with conversation. Something about Jack compelled him to speak. Maybe he saw a little bit of himself in her, or maybe it was simply the saddened look that always seemed present in the back of her eyes. Either way: between, before, or after the heated interrogations from the Commander, when she would visit…he would oblige.

Upon hearing the heavy thud of her boots, June lifted his head and brought his tired orbs up to give the young, tattooed woman a jokingly flirtatious once-over, "Fancy meeting you here. You and I have got to stop meeting like this. What would the others think?"

For a moment Jack felt a fraction of a grin grace her lips before her face fell neutral. "Looks like you'll be gettin' transferred over to someone from the Alliance soon-just not yet. Shepard made a pit stop and we gotta' wait to pick him up," she said as she slunk down to sit on the ground, extending one leg comfortably and bending the other at the knee.

"It looks that way, yeah. Shepard has all the information that I can give him and my hive should be docking on Tortuga by the end the week. I knew my welcome would be worn out eventually." June smiled, a halfhearted attempt at humor, "And here I was just starting to like the accommodations. I think these cuffs are the highlight of it all." He tugged his wrists upwards twice, the soft cling of metal against metal echoing throughout the small room.

"Don't bitch. Try being in cryo then get back to me about accommodations."

He watched and observed her then, the emotions darting across her face. June had heard people talk about this young woman, had heard the whispers from blurry-faced crewmen who were beginning to all look exactly alike to him. This girl was the only one that ever stood out. He couldn't understand why everyone thought she was so hard to read. It seemed to him like the emotions on her face were getting a little more transparent with each passing day that he had been on board. Was she losing her patience with something? With someone? She looked annoyed enough, almost upset about whatever it was. Jack placed a fist against her lips as her eyes scanned every dull area of the room.

"...bad day, kid?"

"Don't you start too, old man. I come down here because it's quiet and you're usually to fuckin' tired to move much less psychoanalyze me."

June laughed, "Alright. Just thought I'd be a friendly neighbor and lend you a cup of sugar."

"Why the hell would you lend me that?"

"...nevermind. It's an old, old phrase." He sighed, accepting the now silent, tattooed convict as his companion. It was better than the Krogan who came in every so often threatening to 'beat the squishy out of him' with June's own leg just for the hell of it.

Gentle whirring was the only sound in the holding cell, an eerie stillness filling the air now that the ship was stationary. "You know, I try not to wonder about it, but the question keeps popping in my head like some kind of damn firework. Why'd you do it?" Jack asked, finally shattering the silence after mere moments.

"Do what?"

"The kids. When in your job did you find out that you get off transferring kids?"

June shrugged, "I'm not the one putting out the order to retrieve them. I just make sure they get to their destination in one piece."

Jack bit her lip, never making eye contact with the mercenary but opting to stare straight ahead at a vacant wall. "That easy, huh? Do you ever wonder what they must feel like when they get unloaded from that box? Ever think what they could end up like, if they manage to make it out at all?"

June remained quiet for a moment, his eyes wandering over the convicts stone expression then the many tattoos on her body. He knew what some of those symbols were: Gangs, cults, kills, memories. "Why did you choose the life that _you _did, Jack?"

She looked at him then, a small curl on her upper lip. "I didn't _choose _anything, I just didn't know anything _else_."

"I don't know anything else either." June looked at her honestly, his eyes never leaving hers. "You and me share the same story. I know about you. I know who you are, what they did. I didn't have parents. I didn't have someone to watch my back and put a roof over my head and food in my stomach. It's all about survival. Once the Suns give you a mark, you're in it for life, kid. You know how this system works. Now I work hard so my son doesn't have to do the shit I did. It's simple enough."

Jack scoffed; a soft, unsure sound that showed her unfamiliarity with subjects such as a father's pure, loving devotion. June leaned in as if the action mixed with his words would make her understand. "I'm a parent. Do you understand? I have a wife. I have a _family_...and they're all I got. Do you have family, Jack? Because if you do then you should know the lengths you're willing to go to make sure they're cared for and happy."

There was a thick silence that blanketed the room. "Look," June continued quietly, "I know that I'm not a good man. I know a lot of the things that I do wouldn't make my mother proud. But I also know that I'm not exactly a bad man either, not completely. I know that a good man would choose the whole over the one. I understand it and hey, I get it. I'm just not that man. I choose my family over the rest of you. You can't say you'd be much different. If it were a life and death situation, would you pick me or someone important to you?"

Jack slowly made her way to a standing position and gave the mercenary a cold nod. "Later."

"Whoa. I know I'm a crap conversationalist, but you're leaving so soon?"

"...I got shit to do."

"Hey kid," June called out again, stopping Jack from turning further. "You may not be aware of it because I did the job for me and my own, but in the end everything will connect no matter what the reason. Sacrifices need to be made because it involves us all. And while you may not like it now, sooner or later you'll find out that all of this shit that's happening might just be happening for the greater good after all."

"What the hell are you talking about? There's nothin' good about this."

"Like I said, it all connects. It's not all for nothing. I believed them when they told me that, at least. They're looking for something specific. They'll find it. We'll have a chance because of it."

Jack stopped before the large, sliding doors, placing a hand on the cold, metal frame before turning to look over her shoulder with furrowed brows. "I've heard you say that before. You said it to London back in that hotel room, didn't you? '_They're looking for something specific'._"

June sighed tiredly, leaning back against his chair and flexing his wrists the best he possibly could. "It's in the genetics. Shepard knows what I mean and will find out soon enough, I'm sure. Until then I wouldn't worry your pretty little head about it. Why don't you 'go get your shit done' now? I'm kind of tired of talking."

Jack clenched her jaw and offered the mercenary a look of distaste before the doors suddenly slid open to reveal a business-faced Grunt and Garrus. Jack gave both of the specialists a nod. "You're just in time. He _just_ told me that he's in the mood for telling a good, long story..."

**[Medical Bay, 12:30PM]**

"What do you expect most out of a relationship? A) Companionship, B) Sex, or C) Respect?"

Days had passed since they captured June and it was time for yet another checkup. London eyeballed Kasumi heatedly from her place on the medical bay bed. The thief was sitting cross-legged on a stool and thumbing carelessly through an old magazine that she had in her chest of 'old world' goodies. When London didn't answer, Kasumi raised her head curiously to face the brunette. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Kasumi, you don't have to be here. I know that everyone is busy and probably has more important things to do than keep me entertained with..._that,_" London's back and neck were extremely stiff and her mood was foul to say the least.

"I didn't come up with these questions! I swear that's what the magazine has printed on it. And since you're not playing along, I'll just answer for you. I cheated and looked up which choices give you the most points, so we'll go with—"

"Kasumi!"

"What!"

They stared at each other intensely. Everyone knew why the dancer was in a bad mood. There were no secrets on the Normandy that stayed hidden for long. London's chest heaved and her jaw was tightened. Something in the woman's eyes made it seem as if she were thinking deeply and weighing out the outcomes of her decisions.

"London, I don't like that look on your face. Whatever you're planning…don't. Don't even _think_ about doing anything. Miranda made it specifically clear that you need to rest. Now lay there, let that drippy thing pump you full of vitamins and antibiotics or whatever, and just…don't move!"

"If Miranda has something to say then she can come over and tell me herself, because as far as I know that's all I've been doing! I sleep, I wake up, I eat a little, and on good days people help me stretch. I'm tired of just laying here and letting the drippy thing drip into me! Damn it, Kasumi," London huffed. "Teagan is angry at me! I can't _not _do anything to try and make it better." Gray eyes peered eagerly at the medical bay door.

Kasumi noticed the direction of the dancer's gaze and the way her feet and toes wiggled ever so slightly. "Oh, no you don't," she said, placing the magazine down and standing up. "You aren't making a break for it. You're going to lie there and _like_ it!"

London redirected her gaze towards the thief. "And if I do make a break for it? What are you going to do about it? What are you going to do if I hobble my way through those doors, hmm? You wouldn't hurt a woman who _hobbles_."

"I'll friggin' tackle you if I have to, O'Conner. The orders were to stay with you while you got pumped full of your meds. If you're going through those doors, you'll have to go through me first."

"Ugh!" London threw her head back onto her pillow and practically growled. "I _have_ to talk to her. She didn't give me the chance to explain why I cancelled our plans. She won't accept any of my calls either! That is _not _like her!"

"Just give her a little bit of time to herself. She's just angry…"

"Kasumi, it's about to be noon and its Wednesday. This is the only day where she goes back to her room to eat. It's the only time when I can call and _know _that she's on the other end near her terminal. I _have _to go call her now."

Kasumi stared down into London's large, puppy-like eyes and inhaled, "…no."

"Seriously!"

"I said no!"

"I can't believe you would deny me one of the only chances I have to see my sister! You know that she's the only family that I have and and that I need to take care of her! She's never been angry at me before much less pissed! You can see why I'm worried here, right?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Kasumi's eyes widened and she held her hands up towards the raving woman on the medical bed. London's face was practically turning red. "London, calm down. It's going to be okay!"

"—What if something has happened and I don't know about it because you people and your freaking rules and regulations and medications won't let me get in contact with her—"

"Take a breath! BREATH." Kasumi watched as London flailed her hands out, speaking quicker and emphasizing her gestures with flicks or tosses of the arms and hands. London would groan occasionally, her body obviously protesting towards such rapid movements. "London, you're going to hurt yourself! Stop talking to fast! Oh for the love of…EDI," Kasumi called out loudly over the ranting.

"What can I do for you, Specialist Goto?"

"For the love of all that is holy will you PLEASE get Operative Lawson over to the Medical Bay _now_! What the hell is taking her so long? She was _supposed_ to visit today. Tell her it's concerning O'Conner!"

"Right away."

It was only a short two minutes before Kasumi intercepted a perfectly fresh looking Miranda right outside the Medical Bay doors. The operative's walk was brisk and the look in her eyes worried as she made her way up towards the hooded woman.

"What happened? Is everything alright? I got the message from EDI saying it was urgent."

Kasumi was sure to keep her voice low, but couldn't contain the aggravation in it as she leaned into the XO. "While you were 'busy' in your office and ignoring your girlfriend, London over here has snapped. I think all the bed rest is finally getting to her. Now, top that all off with the recent tiff with Teagan and…boom. She wants to talk to her sister and she wants to get off that damn bed. Lawson, she won't shut up. She just keeps rambling at a speed that's damn near impossible. And she's turning red because despite my disbelief, I don't think she's taken a breath yet…"

Miranda craned her neck to the side to notice London through the frosted medical bay windows. The woman's shape was indeed ranting and raving despite the lack of people around her. "…how long has she been doing that?"

"Since I told her that she couldn't make a break for it."

The operative ran several fingers through her hair before exhaling and nodding her head determinedly. "Thanks, I'll take it from here."

Kasumi nodded her head and made her way towards the armory while Miranda quietly entered through the doorway. London's eyes snapped to the familiar figure and instantly pointed a finger, her speech seeming to break into double-time"—Don'tevenstartIknow you'reheretogetmetoshutup butIwouldlikeverymuchtogetup andoutofthisbedsothat Icanbepro-activeIhaven't stayedinbedthislong sinceIwaslikeseven hey speaking of sevenyearsold Ineedtotalkto mysisterbecause todayistheonlyday sheeatsinherroom—"

Miranda's brow arched as her heels clicked softly away against the floor on their way towards the sniper's bedside. "London…"

"—Miranda I already said it once, now please don't start. I know what you're going to say and I am putting my foot down! That's right! Putting it—"

"London," the operative tried again, this time a small smile forming on her lips as she leaned over and cupped the brunette's face. "Hey," she said slowly, softly.,

Gradually the rambling slowed down until it stopped all together. London took a large breath and looked away from the woman that was hovering just inches above. When she finally gathered the nerve to reply, it was with a simple, "...hey."

"What's going on," Miranda asked delicately, ever so gently forcing London to look back at her.

"Wait no," London pushed the offending hands away, "don't you try to be all suave and '_hey' _me with that stupidly attractive accent. I understand that you're busy, but you haven't come down in _days. _I would have even settled for a feeble wave of the hand as you walked by my window on the way to lunch or something. Your office is right across the way from here. So before _I_ say anything about what's going on with me, how about you tell me what's going on with _you_?"

"London," Miranda began weakly, "I've just had a lot of work and I'm tired. So please, let me just sit down with you and talk. I've...I _have_...missed you." The word and feeling was foreign to her and she found her expression falling because of it.

"It's not like I've been gone, Miranda. I've been across the damn hallway."

"I know that. I deserve that, even. It's just that I've been-"

"Busy, I got it."

"Can we just-"

"Look, I just want to call and talk to my sister, but both you _and _Chakwas scheduled this God damned medication administration for noon today. Teagan is angry with me, Miranda. She won't talk to me. Remember? I promised her that she could spend her free three days with me and I had to break that promise. You were there when I told her, you saw that sparkle in her eye and how excited she was."

"I know that. At the time I truly thought the visit might have been possible. Things changed and you did the right thing, London. You couldn't let your sister see you like this, with all the bruising and cuts. Not to mention the fact that June is on board. She'll be angry for a little while, but when she calms down and you get to explain... she'll understand. Teagan is a smart girl. Believe me when I say that she'll forgive you. Just give her a small while to vent, okay?"

"I…I know," the sniper finally said, closing her eyes and sighing miserably. "I know. I'm not used to having her so angry at me. I also need to get off this damn bed. Everything hurts and I'm tired of lying down. My body has gone stiff and my mood is just _terrible_. Why am I being kept in bed? Is it because of my ribs?"

Miranda sat up straight as she cautiously ran her hand down London's arm in an attempt to be soothing. "Not so much your ribs as it is because of your hip dislocation. You had a central dislocation, straight out of the pelvis socket. That's why we bring you in here and hook you up to that little machine. It's anti-inflammatory medication to aid and smooth out the healing process. You're almost done. There's just a few days left to go."

"…I hate this, Miranda. I'm not used to just lying down like a useless lump all day."

"I know," the XO said quietly. "But you're not useless, you're injured. There is a difference."

"...doesn't feel like there is."

Miranda took note of her girlfriend's nearly defeated look, knowing almost instantly what to do to help with both her mood and spirits. "Here, let's work out some of those kinks." Miranda walked around to the foot of London's medical bed and crawled up before the woman could protest. She carefully folded her legs underneath and sat down on her heels before gently lifting and placing London's left calve on her shoulder. "I'm going to push slightly up and forward to stretch you out. You'll feel a bit of pressure in your hip, but we'll move onward little by little to help with the stiffness. Just take it easy when Chakwas works with you today."

London groaned happily as her leg was stretched, a smile even forming when Miranda gently pushed. Fighting against her stubbornness was futile because like it or not London adored Miranda's immediacy and warmth.

"Nice and slowly, Casanova." Miranda chuckled after taking notice of London's expression, her hands rubbing the sniper's thigh up and down firmly to warm the muscle. "Honestly I would enjoy this bed rest while you can. The minute you're fit you'll be ordered to join the rest of the crew in conditioning and training. There won't be time to worry about anything else. You're behind. Years behind if we want to be technical and I would have you catch up as quickly as possible before we being briefing on the-"

"It always has to lead back to work, doesn't it? Nevermind that for five minutes I'd like to worry about my and my sister's relationship." The sniper swallowed the lump in her throat when she felt Miranda's hands stop momentarily, "Just never mind, I assure you that I'm fit as a fiddle. I'll be ready to work."

Miranda's smile turned into tight line, a hand adjusting itself onto London's hip so that she could add a bit more pressure into the stretch. "It has nothing to do with being fit. I don't care if you can run fifty miles and never stop to drink or breathe. You need to train and you need to continue practicing your skills. You have a cold sniper rifle. Who knows what the time off has done to the barrel? Not to mention those knives that Shepard gave you. You still have _no clue_ on how to wield them in a combat scenario. Are you going to just march into battle only to chop off your own arm? If that's the case just pass that gear onto Specialist Goto. How long has it been since you've practiced in hand to hand?"

London raised her hands in surrender, responding with strained ease. "Fine, I'm aware that we can't afford to be rusty at a time like this. Understood, Operative Lawson. I'll be sure to drop and give you two hundred as soon as I'm able."

"I'm not saying it to be pushy, London." The line on Miranda's mouth was beginning to turn into a frown. "I'm saying it because sooner or later there will be a time when you might need to fight again. And I would not have you-I would not have one of my _team _membersgetting hurt because of the damned lack of bloody training!"

"Whoa," London said quietly, finally taking the time to notice the anxious, almost angry look on Miranda's face. She reached over to place a hand on Miranda's. The operative halted her movements and leaned both back and away from the touch with a heavy sigh. "Don't."

"Don't what? Touch you? _I'm_ supposed to be the upset one here, but only God knows why I find myself concerned for _you_. Why are you freaking out on me, Miranda?"

The response was a bit more harsh than intended. "I'm fine."

London sighed in return as she watched the other woman's expression. "Here we go again."

"Here what goes again? The fact that you don't want to seem to take an order?"

"I'm not from the damn military, Miranda. I don't work at the same pace. I don't bark when I'm asked to. You know that. I'm still getting used to working with this crew."

"I do know that you're not military. Maybe that's the _problem_. You can take it as you'd like, but I'm simply stating that training is in order. Nothing else. You're trying to make more of it."

"_Maybe that's the problem? _I'm not stupid. There _is_ more to it, you've made it plain as day! You got like this the night we fell asleep after I got hurt! I fell asleep, you stayed up, I woke up and you were _still_ awake only this time pacing, and working, and writing, and planning, and _always_ thinking. You've been thinking a lot. You have that same look now. You need to _rest_."

"It is my job to help think and plan so we can bloody survive! Maybe _you _just don't think _enough_."

London nodded her head, "I see. All that verbal vomit is really starting to come out now, huh?"

"London," Miranda groaned, realizing that she was beginning to take it just a bit too far. "I apologize, that is not what I meant. I don't mean to make it sound like you're stupid or unfit for this job, it's just-"

"-you know what happened to me was not your fault, right? It was no one's fault."

Miranda was sure to keep her face neutral after the shock of having her girlfriend hit the issue right on the head. She tried to weigh out her options, deciding if it would be best to enter into that conversation at all. London's expression didn't leave her much room for a way out. "If you must know, there are certain factors that when put into consideration could have been avoided had-"

"I didn't get my ass kicked because of lack of training or planning or leadership. I got my ass kicked because I was out numbered and under geared. The same thing could have happened to anyone had they been in my position. There is nothing you could have done to prevent me from doing what I did. It can't be fixed. You can't go back. It's over and done with, and I'm healing. Stop beating yourself up about it!" Pause. "Is that why you're acting like this? Is _that_ why you haven't come to see me?"

"It's not _just _that. This...ugh," she scoffed. "This is a complicated situation for me, please understand." Miranda got off the medical bed then, folding her arms as she slowly paced back and forth a short distance. "I'm trying my damndest to control and balance both the XO and the ...girlfriend, but it's proving to be harder than I thought it would. I thought if Shepard could manage it with Jack then I sure as hell could too, but I'm wrong. I'm just not..._built_ that way. There's no place for emotions on the battlefield. I can't keep trying to command you as Shepard's second, but worrying about you like a lover...I can't. I made a bad call back at The Vault. I should have stood my ground and just said no. But I let you go because of this relationship. Because I took a single look into your eyes and saw how much you wanted it despite my decision. I broke." Miranda took a breath then and halted her pacing, a hand raising to her forehead as she thought aloud. "Then I realized that my feelings are starting to...London, I can't have that happen again. I can't make another bad call when we're all so deep into something much bigger than ourselves."

London struggled to move quickly, finally finding that damned remote to lock the bed's top into a slight sitting position. "Stop talking about yourself like you're a damned machine who's switch is stuck on 'GO, GO, GO'. I've gotten to know you, Miranda, and you're anything but. I understand the pressure you're under. I understand that you're going to have to make calls and decisions. _I know_. But you need to realize that right now we're not on a battlefield. This is starting to become about you and me and our problems. After we figure those out _then_ I'll take everyone else into consideration."

"There is no-"

"Let me talk," London interrupted angrily. "You think that I don't know that I don't have even a smidgen of the training that you guys do? You don't think I know that we're probably about to head into a war? You think I haven't done the homework or gotten my hands on any reports? I _know _what's out there. I _know _what the Normandy is fighting for, and I _know _what I've gotten myself into. I'm not the only one who's at risk, Miranda. What about every other person on this ship? What about our sisters? What about every other single family out there? If people like us don't fight, then who will on our behalf? You're afraid of _me_ getting hurt? _You _got impaled not too long ago on _my _behalf! Things happen that we can't always predict in battle, you know that. And _I_ know that pain is a small price to pay in the long run. I will fight so that my little sister, so that _your_ little sister won't have to. I will fight because I want them to be safe."

When Miranda didn't reply London spoke again, softer this time. "You may have chosen to keep your distance from me for a few days, but I know that you love me. I can see it in the way you look at me, hell you're looking at me like that now. I know that sometimes your head will fight with your heart, and that you'll question your judgment. It happens to me too. But please don't blame the misfortunes of combat solely on something so simple as this relationship. You're not a woman who looks for the easy way out, and what you're doing now is most definitely the easy way out."

"I'm not. I've thought about this rationally."

"No," London countered, "you've thought that maybe I'd be safer if you were only commanding me and nothing else. You think it'd be better to cut all ties. I will have you know right this instant that you're wrong. If anything, knowing that at the end of the road I might have a chance to be happy with you gives me more passion and reason to fight harder and better than any military soldier you'll ever meet."

Miranda smiled sadly, knowing that the words only smelled and tasted like honey. The reality was that London was no soldier.

"Don't give me that look," London whispered. "I may not have the training you do, but I've been fighting my entire life just the same. And when this is all done, I just want to be happy. So please tell me that I'll have that chance with you at the end of this battle. Tell me that you're not about to take the easy way out."

Miranda's arms tightened underneath her breasts, trying their best to self-soothe and failing miserably. "I haven't come to visit because I didn't want to start this conversation," she finally admitted honestly, sorrowfully. "I knew it would lead here."

"I've never been a woman to ask twice let alone beg. But I am _begging _you now to please reconsider what you're thinking, Miranda"

"I don't make mistakes, London. Not out on the field."

Gray orbs searched over Miranda's face tiredly. She would not ask a third time. It took the entirety of her strength to keep her body from trembling. "You're about to make one now."

"You don't know that us being apart will be a mistake. How can you? Maybe it would be better this way. For both of us. Let's be serious about this for one second. This is no time for emotional entanglement. The night that we decided to be with each other was...it was a mistake. We were running on hormones, stupid, idiotic, dim-witted hormones."

"Miranda, you love me. You can't hide that. You can't hide _behind_ that either. What we have is good. It's hard to find and it's very good. If you're going to leave me, let it be because you no longer love me. Don't walk away from me because you're scared. Relationships take work, especially under the current circumstances. Our lives have been-will _get_ more difficult still, and I can honestly say you're one of the very, very few things that have ever made me happy. So I'm going to forgive you for saying we were a mistake, and I'm going to forgive you for ignoring me these past few days... because real love is forgiving. Though I don't approve of you doing it, I understand why you did. I understand your concern. But now the rest is up to you, because I think I've shown you and told you everything that I possibly can to make you understand."

"...I can't, London." Miranda was unable to look at the young brunette then, her voice tinged with an unfamiliar vulnerability as she looked down to her feet. "...what if we...oh God, what if _you..._"

"Stop it. I haven't seen you in days and I've missed you too. I've missed my _girlfriend, _Miranda_._ I know you want to be here with me just as badly as I want you to stay."

"I do," Miranda admitted indistinctly as she walked over towards the machine that administered London's medication. "It's just that now is not the time. For any of it."

London's eyes widened, "Wait! Miranda, don't!"

"Rest now. You need to get better." It was only a few short strokes later that Miranda had administered a small amount of sedative, enough to knock the dancer out. "..._I_ need you to get better." She walked back over towards the bed then, leaning down to place a kiss upon the sleeping woman's head, pausing her kiss and squeezing her eyes shut as a single tear rolled down her cheeks. "Promise me that you won't die when this war begins," she whispered hotly against London's cool skin. "Please. I'll do my job as your second in command, so you bloody well be sure to do yours."

"EDI," Miranda then called out, standing straight and wiping her face. "She's probably having her lunch now, but when she returns let Dr. Chakwas know that I'm transferring the patient back to her quarters for the afternoon."

**[Mess Hall, 12PM]**

Jack waited, the sole of her heavy combat boot bouncing in anxiousness as she watched the gap that led between Miranda's office and the Medical Bay.

_Short distance but enough noise from the lunch crowd to cover up mostly anything. _

She was sitting alone at a table furthest back from the crowd, sinking into a corner of the room and trying her best to blend with whatever shadow she could. People ignored her for the most part, just as they always did. No one tried to stir up a conversation, and the crew learned a long time ago to not stare. So she waited in perfect silence, her thoughts remaining uninterrupted.

_Come on. Come on. Come on._

Jack could make out Kasumi on the other side of the frosted medical bay windows. The woman was on her feet, one hand stretched out to halt the actions of a very angry looking London. Everyone knew it was only time until the bed-rest and constant use of sedatives got to her. Kasumi threw her hands up, walking back and towards the gliding doors. When the entrance opened the faint sound of ranting could be heard while the thief glared angrily at the direction of Miranda's office.

_That's right. Call the girlfriend._

Careful eyes watched as the operative made her way quickly from her office. Jack could tell from Miranda's posture that she must have received the "urgent" news in regards to London and had made her way to the Med Bay as quickly as possible. Both Kasumi and Miranda exchanged some short words, Miranda having double checked the issue by trying to peek at London through the hazy glass. When the XO gave the thief the okay, Kasumi quickly retreated back to the quiet comfort of hers and Jacobs quarters while Miranda entered the battle zone.

_Bingo._

Jack casually lifted herself from her seat and made her way through the loud mess hall. Making a right at the elevator and a small u-turn, Jack found herself face to face with Miranda's office door. She gave a quick look over her shoulder as she walked closer, noticing that no one was behind her. The glow at the center of the entrance was green.

_Left in a hurry, Cheerleader?_

The convict grinned giving one last look-around before softly shoving her elbow into the dimly glowing light and quietly making her way inside.

"I tried doing this the right way," Jack told herself, eyes quickly scanning the area. "It's time to get shit done."

She moved quickly towards the small shelf of books and folders that Miranda kept on the counter near her desk. Fingertips walked over the top of each paper, hazel orbs noting the subjects and classifications. Jack knew what she was looking for, the folder had been given to her once before joining the Normandy and growing to love Shepard. It was just strange how suddenly certain files on her went missing or misplaced. Jack wanted information, and since Shepard had been too busy to help... now was the time to find them herself.

"Bills, bills, receipts...bullshit, where are the fuckin' dossiers?"

Jack paused briefly before shoving everything back into order. "A lot of the files went missing, huh? Nothing goes missing. This office is a fucking prison for information." She eyed Miranda's desk next, turning quickly to inspect the drawers. "Come on, Cheerleader. Where'd it go?"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Nah, the desk is too open, too common." She got onto her knees and craned her head to scan the desk area underneath the terminal. Tattooed fingers ran across the smooth surface, not finding a single hint to any secret compartment. "Fuck. Where are you?"

She scanned the room again as she got to her feet, hands on her hips until her eyes fell onto the more personal side of Miranda's office. Jack walked over to the nightstand by Miranda's bed, kneeling down and opening the drawer. The convict rolled her eyes as she pushed aside several issues of 'Technology Today' and 'Bio-Tech Research Quarterly, sighed as she read a cover entitled 'Men are from Omega, Women are from Illium,' and cussed as she bumped into a soft, phallic-shaped toy.

"Jesus Christ," Jack hissed, wiping her hand roughly on the back of her cargo pants before shoving the drawer closed. It was then that something strange happened. The force of the shove actually caused the small piece of furniture to move, an oddity considering that the furniture on this military vessel was usually bolted to the floor. Jack squinted as she examined the base of the metal square. "...the fuck?"

She bit her lip as she quietly pushed against the furniture, watching as it slightly lifted and slid aside. Jack could only move it about four inches before the piece refused to budge. There was a small slot visible underneath, but the space was only wide enough to fit a hand much less stick her head in to view anything. The convict popped her knuckles before sliding her hand carefully in, her fingers wiggling around to feel out the small space.

Jack felt the stiff, thick paper of several files, followed by what felt like a frame. Little by little the contents of the hidden compartment were emptied. She looked at the frame first, an eyebrow raising when she found no picture being held within. Next, Jack looked down at the tiny pile of papers.

"What do we have here," she asked herself, haphazardly shoving the frame back into the dark place beneath the nightstand before sitting against the wall and picking up a file.

Jack smiled upon opening the folder's flap. "Miranda Lawson's dossier. Trying to keep your business private? Pfft. Let's see what you got, Cheerleader."

She read the information greedily, eyebrows furrowing the further along she got. "Messages regarding Ashland Energy...possible candidate for the Shadow Broker's recruitment after...oh shit," Jack said quietly, eyes widening in curiosity. "They were gonna off the Illusive Man."

She continued to flip through the pages, landing on what appeared to be a message in regards to medical reports. "...Illium Medical Center, Prenatal Care Department?" Jack tilted her head, "...benign neoplasm to the irregularity in genetic makeup...progressive damage...unable to conceive a child..."

"At least the world will be spared a mini version of you," Jack scoffed, slapping Miranda's dossier closed and tossing it back into the dark hole before picking up a file she noticed, an older file marked with the Cerberus logo. "Subject Zero," Jack whispered, running the tip of her pointer finger over the words. "What the fuck are you doing under there? Looks like I found my 'misplaced' files, Shepard. Question is why the fuck she 'misplaced' them."

Jack's eyes ran through the information she had already seen once before, flipping through the pages hungrily until she reached a page unknown to her, a page that had seemingly been removed from the rest of the packet. There was a feeling in her chest then, almost as if her heart was stuck inside of her throat and had stopped beating all at once. The cause of it was four simple lines, followed by a tiny hard plastic compartment containing a chip.

_Subject Zero_

_Helios Medical Facility, Eden Prime_

_Year: 2165_

_Doctor: Henry J. Castor, Head of Research_

Shaky hands delicately removed the tiny piece from its holdings and inserted it into her dimly lit omni-tool, the information quickly beginning to download. Jack swallowed then inhaled, using her free hand to begin the short holo-vid.

_"Ma'am, please know that we are working on treatments. We understand the harm that prenatal eezo exposure can cause, and know the suffering of parents like yourself. It's just that the government doesn't put much effort into it. They don't want a treatment to intervene with the possibility of biotic recruitment."_

_"Sons of bitches," the woman in the holo spat, arms folded tightly. "Those sons of bitches!"_

_Doctor Castor extended his hand towards the woman in condolences, "...this may not be the right time, but if you'd be willing to let us study your child we might be able to run some tests to help determine the exact cause of this problem."_

_"...you want to keep her? Here?"_

_"Your child could prove very helpful in the fight of finding a treatment."_

_The woman shook her head, fighting to keep her breathing steady. "But she's my baby. That's my little girl that you're asking for! What kind of man asks a woman for her __**child**__? Especially a child in this state."_

_"I understand. I know, and I'm not proud to ask. I just don't want to watch another family go through what you're going through. Think about it, please. Think about what you'd be helping us do."_

_"I want to see my baby."_

_"...Ma'am...there were some...complications after you brought her in. I'm sorry."_

_"What are you...?Oh no. Oh please God, no. Please don't tell me..."_

_"There isn't much we can do. Could do. Could have done."_

_"No," the woman shook her head. "Not yet. She's just...a child is never supposed to go before their parents."_

_"I'm so sorry."_

_"I want...I need to see my baby off. She can't go alone. She needs to know that her mother is here and that mommy loves her. She needs to know, doctor. I need to be with her."_

_Doctor Castor very carefully placed both hands on the woman's shoulders, "She's already gone. The death was...it would be better if you didn't see her now."_

_It was then that the woman fell to her knees, a guttural, uncontrolled sob echoing loudly throughout the medical office. Doctor Castor kneeled down beside her, rocking the woman who had crushed herself against him. "I'm so sorry. Let's go get you something to drink and we'll talk."_

_Castor nodded his head to the two guards standing by, both of which helped the woman stand up to her feet. She was still crying, having to lean on the shorter of the two men as they helped her walk out. When the office door closed the doctor turned around to his terminal immediately._

_"Open secure channel, authorization code three-three-six-two. I have a candidate, four years of age. Highest potential I've seen in years. Send a team from Pragia."_

Even though the holo had faded Jack remained perfectly still, her wide, watering eyes never leaving the point where the holo-screen used to be. "They lied," she whispered through trembling lips. "They...lied to...m-my," Jack had to breathe then, her entire body quivering. "...she wanted me. She lov..."

"She knew," the convict suddenly said with venom, the look in her eyes showing that she was no longer speaking of her mother. Jack brought her forearm up to wipe her eyes harshly. "That... fucking... little...SHE KNEW." A fist pounded heavily upon the floor and the biotic flared up in brilliant hues of black and blue as she stood on her feet, her jaw and fists clenched tightly as she exited Miranda's office, not even bothering to place the nightstand as she had found it. Crew men and women alike gazed at the ex-convict wide eyed, watching as the human torch strode through the mess hall and towards the medical bay resolutely.

"Where the fuck is she," Jack spat with a sneer towards the surprised Dr. Chakwas when she didn't find the XO.

"Jack? What's the matter, dear?"

"Where the fuck is Miranda!"

Garrus, who had noticed the biotic walk from the office towards the bay had followed the woman with his eyes, watching her through the now de-frosted windows. He nudged Jacob, who had been doing the exact same thing. "That doesn't look good."

Dr. Chakwas shook her head, "Sweetie, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down. You seem riled up. Now," she said softly, cautiously lifting her hands up like a person does when trying to calm a wild horse, "why don't you have a seat and-"

Jack scanned the room, noticing that London had been moved. If Miranda hadn't returned to her office after visiting London...there was only one other place she could be. The biotic turned quickly from the still slow speaking doctor and walked through the doors towards the Portside Observation.

"Wait! Jack!" Helen called out, taking a few steps towards the woman before the entrance closed.

Garrus and Jacob looked at each other before rushing over to check on the doctor.

"What happened," the Turian asked. "What's with all the flare?"

Chakwas shook her head, "I don't know. She was asking after Operative Lawson. Something's wrong and Jack is mighty pissed about it. She doesn't seem stable."

"Garrus, let's go." Jacob nudged him. "Don't worry, it's probably just a misunderstanding. The Commander should be back soon, but we'll go check up on her just in case."

**[Portside Observation/ London's Quarters/ 1PM]**

Miranda had stayed beside the sniper for her lunch hour, her hand slowly running up and down the sleeping woman's forearm soothingly. The wounds on her girlfriend's body were healing, and Miranda knew without a doubt that she'd be back on active duty in no time-something that still made the depths of the XO's stomach turn.

"I'm scared," she said softly into the cold room where only a single, unconscious woman slept. "I lied. Shepard did tell me what he was doing down on that planet. There is supposed evidence of an imminent Reaper invasion. I couldn't say anything to the others because as of now it's only speculation. I don't want to rattle the team. But it's driving me crazy because I _just keep bloody thinking_. The stakes are different. Everything _feels _different. Like it's the end, you know? Like everything we've ever done in our lives is going to lead up to this one, giant conclusion. And I'm scared that somewhere along the way we'll mess up. This 'Buyer' business is child's play in the long run. It's busy work. Shepard and I know what's really coming more than any other person on this ship. We know the odds, _really _know the odds and the council is _still _complacent. We're just not ready, and we're dragging you into this as the untrained daughter of a mercenary. What if-"

"YOU BITCH." Miranda had only just turned her head around before being thrown harshly against the metal wall by a strong pulse of biotic energy.

She landed with a loud thud. Lawson groaned and shook her head, quickly looking ahead to take notice of the brightly glowing Jack. Her right arm was curled, strong biotic waves bouncing off her hands. In her left was a tightly held folder, its contents currently being creased and crushed with the unyielding grip. "It was part of our deal," Jack breathed heavily. "I joined this suicide-fest in exchange for _all_ the information you had on me. You hid shit. You withheld the most important fucking information that Cerberus had!"

Miranda got to her feet, eyes switching from the dossier to Jack's face. "Jack..."

London stirred from the yelling, blurry eyes trying to focus on who and what was happening in her room. "Jack?" She hissed as she sat up in her bed, her mind still reeling from the aftereffects of the sedative.

"I even gave you time to fess up, Cheerleader. London and I had a little chat back on Watson about family. I got curious, ya know? Her speech made the ol' noggin turn. I asked Shepard for his help, so Shepard went to you asking for more shit on me, seeing if there was anything else we could find...and you told him that files went _missing, got misplaced_. He didn't have the time after that to keep looking. You knew that. You knew he'd get side tracked. But I didn't. The minute you stepped out of that office in a panic I knew I had my chance. I slipped in and found your little hiding spot."

Lawson laughed, balancing her stance and preparing herself in case of the worst. There was no point in damning the woman for breaking into her bedroom now. "Yet now you can see the very reason why I didn't tell you about that holo in the first place! _Look at you_, Jack! You've lost it! At the time we were a Cerberus vessel about to go in through the Omega Four Relay on a suicide mission! You were unstable and unreliable as it was. Imagine what you would have been like after finding out what happened. What would you have done? What lengths would you have gone until you got every single piece of information you needed or wanted? You were a liability, and I wasn't about to let you get everyone killed because you couldn't decide which side to bloody stand on."

"Then what was your excuse this time around," the ex-convict asked through gritted teeth.

"It's the same story, just at another instant." Miranda looked the tattooed woman straight in the eye. "We don't have time for your shit-fits, Jack. You know what could be coming."

London looked between both women in panic, "What's going on? Miranda? Jack?"

Jack shook her head, the glow surrounding her body seeming to burn ever brighter. "Your girlfriend is a bitch, that's what's going on. Months ago I asked for information in exchange for my services. She held out on me. She held out on the most important part of it all."

"You knew who had taken you already. Don't act like you bloody didn't. Why is it important to know how you got there?"

"Why is it impor-WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?" Jack extended her hand, using a bright sphere of biotic energy to grab a desk chair and shoot it out in the operative's direction but purposefully missing. Miranda never flinched as it broke apart beside her.

"JACK!" London cried out from her bed as she threw her legs over the side. Lawson reached out towards her, "No! Don't move. You're still injured."

"It's important," Jack finally said after watching the brief exchange. "It's... important."

Garrus and Jacob burst through the door after hearing the scream only to witness the glow suddenly die down from the young woman's body, her hands falling limply to her sides. "You don't get it do you? You wouldn't. I spent my entire childhood wondering why someone would just give me up to a place like that. I couldn't figure out if it was because something was wrong with me, or maybe because I had done something bad to be there."

London watched as Jack's face fell, her upper lip beginning to quiver as the two men behind her moved only slightly into the room. Miranda, however, remained unwavering.

"I was four, Cheerleader. I was fucking four years old and thought no one had cared. Thinking that changes you when you're kept in a place like Pragia. But I come to find out that she did. My...my _mom_ did. I had a mother. She _wanted_ me. She...loved me. Knowing that makes a difference that you'll never understand. So yeah, it's important."

Jack moved her eyes over towards London, causing Miranda to shift nervously. "Don't worry, Lond. I ain't gonna hurt her. I think she's done that all by herself."

The dancer blinked, shifting her gaze back and forth between both women before the ex-convict threw one of the folders she was carrying down onto the ground. "She's been holding out on you too."

"Go on. Ask her," Jack continued calmly. "Ask her about the Ashland Energy accident on Yandoa. Ask her about the very accident that both killed and created several human, biotic children-Teagan included. It was Cerberus operated, wasn't it?" Jack added as an after thought, turning her back on both women. "Yeah, I think you should really ask her about the shit that got your father into all this trouble in the first place."

Jacob and Garrus parted for Jack, watching as she quietly passed the doors and turned to enter the elevator. London stared after her for a while before finally turning to look back at Miranda. "Cerberus was behind the Ashland Energy accident?"

The operative nodded, noticing how tense her body had really become since being smacked against the wall. Jacob called out to her, not daring to go anywhere past the entrance. "You alright, Lawson?"

Miranda nodded, flicking a loose strand of hair away from her face. "I'm fine, thank you. You two can continue on with your duties, I need to-"

The steady jolt of thrusters kicking in caught all in the observation room off guard, each needing to take a moment to steady themselves. Miranda turned to look out the window, her eyes widening at the sight before her; an asteroid, heading towards the very relay they would need to get out. "Get to your stations. Now!"

**"All hands to stations. Normandy in bound for pickup," **EDI said through the ship's intercom system.

Small quakes were felt as the Normandy descended into the atmosphere, winds hurling and dust whipping about as she leveled her docking station with a platform, the Commander jumping into the entrance as quickly as possible before the ship made out for the mass relay. Miranda had just left the observation room as she saw him. John's legs pumped as he sprinted down the hall and towards the pit, his second in command soon following in pursuit.

"Joker, get us out of here!"

"I'm on it!"

Shepard turned, his chest heaving as he walked briskly back towards the galaxy map. Miranda shook her head as she followed once more, "What's going on?"

He pointed then at the place on the map where the Mass Relay was, watching as the small vicinity was suddenly enveloped by a halo, it's area continuously expanding until the system itself was... gone.

"Commander...?" Miranda asked hesitantly, the disbelief of what she had just seen evident in her voice. Kelly, who was at her usual work station, didn't have a dissimilar expression.

"Kelly," Shepard said as he leaned heavily against galaxy map's railing, the weight of his decision seemingly appearing on his shoulders. "I need Hackett on the line ASAP."

"Right away, Commander," Kelly responded after taking the moment to process. "Dr. Chakwas requested that you meet her in the medical bay for a quick examination upon returning."

"That's fine. Just get a hold of Hackett."

Kelly began the message right away as Shepard closed his eyes and took a breath. He placed a hand on Miranda's shoulders and nodded. The XO swallowed the bile that she felt rise into her throat and simply nodded in return.

"How long, Commander?"

"They've been stalled for now. It could be months. It could be years. It could be tomorrow. I...I don't know, Lawson. We just need to be ready."

_[End 29: Outcomes and Arrivals, Part I of II]_

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_A/N: It's tough to try and find a way to realistically deal with relationships under circumstances this bizarre, with characters this quirky. I hope all the dialog was done well enough. _

_Not many chapters left, folks!_


	30. Outcomes and Arrivals, Part II of II

_A/N: I would have never thought that this silly little idea I had a few months ago would grow into a 240,000+ word fan-fiction. Thanks so much to everyone who reads, and especially to those of you who've left your encouraging comments and reviews. This story would not be here without you._

_***Spoiler alert**__ for those who have not completed __**the 'Arrival' DLC**__. For those of you who have, there's dialog you'll know at the start and a few places thereafter. I just had to shuffle some stuff around and change a few things so that everything integrates properly. _

* * *

[Dream]; A series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep. 2) a fantasy, typically about something greatly desired or contemplated.

* * *

[ Chapter Thirty: Outcomes and Arrivals, Part II of II ]

**[Medical Bay/ 7 PM]**

They would arrive. He had seen it, felt it, stopped it with his hands. War was coming.

Commander John Shepard grinded his teeth, iron jaw flexing and glazed eyes wandering to and fro along the white ceramic of the medical bay floor. The weight of his armor surprised him; it hunkered him down, slumping him over his sore knees and forcing him to lean on them in support. It astonished him how this medical bed could hold him up. Had his gear always been this heavy? He popped his neck, lifting an underweave covered hand to his collar and tugging. Everything felt too hot beneath this armor.

"It looks like you've recovered. Cuts and bruises I take it?"

"Admiral Hackett?" John choked for a moment, stirred out of his thoughts and trying to find some semblance of cohesiveness. He took a second to inhale, the scent of antiseptic and floor cleaner vastly different from the air of Aratoht. There the air was heavy, as if coated in lead and sulfur and heat and blood and sweat. Here the air was thin, unsullied. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"You went out there as a favor to me. I decided to debrief you in person...but that was _before_ the mass relay exploded and destroyed an entire Batarian system. What the _hell _happened out there, Commander? I sent you there to break Amanda Kenson out of prison, and now an entire system is destroyed. I was hoping you could fill in the leap of logic between those two events."

Nausea made its presence known immediately and Shepard mentally stammered for a response. It had all happened so fast. He looked down to his hand and bent his fingers. His knuckles hurt. This was the same hand who only hours earlier had entered a series of numbers to launch what was known as Project Rho. More than three hundred thousand had died at those fingertips in mere seconds. A colony. But it was to save so many more...right? The military half of John's brain helped ease the weight of his decision, made his choices mean something greater.

War does not come without sacrifice.

"Shepard?"

"I confirmed Doctor Kenson's proof. The Reapers were going to use that Alpha Relay as a means to not only arrive, but to travel throughout the galaxy. Destroying that relay was the only way to stop them. I didn't have long; Kenson had sedated me. I started the engines with little more than an hour left. I tried to warn the Batarian colony, but in the end...time just...ran out."

War does not side with proper occasion.

"I see. The Batarians report no survivors from Aratoht," Hackett said lightly, noticing the heaviness behind Shepard's blue eyes. "It must have been hell out there, Shepard. At least you tried. That's all you could do. That's all anyone could have done."

War does not come without cost, its currency being the weight of flesh and bone.

"Yes, Sir."

"And you believed the Reaper invasion _really_ was a threat?"

"We literally had minutes to spare. All the details are in the report."

"I won't lie to you, Shepard: the Batarians will want blood, and there's just enough evidence for a witch hunt. We don't want war with the Batarians. Not with the Reaper's at the galaxy's edge."

"What are you saying, sir?"

"You did what you did for the best of reasons, but...there were more than three hundred thousand Batarians in that system. _All_ dead."

"They died to save _trillions_ of lives." Had there been another way...had there been even the slightest impression of an alternate means of execution he would have tried, John would have taken it. He had used his resources and reacted smartly. Every option had been considered. "If I could have saved them...I would have. You bet your ass I would have."

Hackett raised his hands up to settle the man, "You're preaching to the choir, Commander. If it were up to me I would have given you a damn medal. Unfortunately, other's just won't see it that way."

"...is the Alliance concerned about the Batarians' response to this incident?"

"Very. The Batarians have been looking for an excuse to wage war on us since we showed up in the galaxy. If the Reapers invade, we need the galaxy to work together. If we're at war with the Batarians, the other races will be hesitant to give aid to either side."

"What do you suggest?"

"Evidence against you is shoddy, at best. But at some point, you'll have to go to Earth and face the music. I can't stop it...but I can and will make them fight for it."

"I'll gladly stand trial once this mission is done."

"Ah, right. You have another mission that was required to be put on hold on my account. I've heard what Anderson has asked you to investigate. Do whatever you have to do out here. But when Earth calls, you make sure you're there with your dress blues on, ready to take the hit. In the meantime...you keep this report. I don't need to see it to know that you did the right thing."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

"You've done a hell of a thing, Commander. You should be proud."

John looked back to the floor, words ringing in his ears like the shrill echo of tracer bullets unwinding through the day as brilliant, red ribbons. Like the heavy thud of indoctrinated bodies hitting the floor filled with the holes of still glowing thermal rounds, burning the flesh and filling the nostrils with its scent. Like the bile-rising gasp of his crewman who watched as an entire colony disappeared from the map.

There are no 'Congratulations' in war.

"Admiral," John called out before the man could leave. "Is the Alliance prepared for a Reaper invasion?"

"That's hard to say," Hackett replied with look of worry. "It took multiple fleets _and_ the Destiny Ascension to bring Sovereign down. And that was just _one _Reaper. If the Reapers come in force...we're just not ready. You'll be hearing from me again, Shepard."

Both men exchanged a brief look before the Admiral exited the medical bay. Dr. Chakwas walked in soon after and leaned against the frame of the giant door. "John?"

"...yeah," he replied wearily, slowly beginning to remove himself from the constraints of his armor. "What is it?"

Chakwas walked in and over towards the Commander, standing in front of his form and lifting her hand to place along the curve of his hardened jaw. "Oh my boy," she sighed, helping to release the man from his gear. The airlocks along John's back hissed as they popped open. "It'll be so much more tiring in the days to come. For all of us. So let's take it one day at a time, shall we? That's the only advice I can prescribe at this moment."

John hung his head, hands clenching and knuckles turning white around the edge of the bed. His skin broke out into gooseflesh and he swallowed prickles as his skin adjusted to the cool air of the room beneath his sweat covered undershirt. Neither doctor nor Commander moved when heavy black plates, scratched, discolored, and worn from battle landed against the floor with a crack.

"Have you seen Jack," she asked, putting on her own pair of gloves to clean out any scrapes or cuts the Commander had on his arms, face, and hands. She knew he needed a change of 'pace'.

"Not since I left. Why? Is everything alright?"

"I believe so," Chakwas said, sure to keep her tone cool. "There was a bit of a fuss made earlier in your absence. She seemed rather upset about something, the poor girl. Everything is fine of course; no one has come in through those doors needing medical attention except you. So I imagine that whatever it was, was settled."

Shepard watched as she meticulously cleaned the deeper cuts around his fingers, the area around the knuckle-bone was white, a startling contrast in comparison to the deep, pink wounds adorning them. "Fuss? What was she angry about?"

"I don't honestly know," Chakwas shrugged. "Jack had asked for the whereabouts of Operative Lawson...and that was the end of it. I assume they found each other?"

John groaned and rubbed his face roughly with the other hand, "Or killed each other. I'll go look for her. We all set here?"

"Go on," she shooed, taking off her gloves with a clear snap. "You'll live. But I wouldn't enter in the Mr. Galaxy pageant just yet."

Shepard wiggled his finger at the doctor. "You must be one of those funny doctors."

"What can I say," Chakwas smiled, the first gentle thing Shepard had seen in what felt like weeks. "My x-rays have always shown a prominent funny bone."

"So I see," John said with a half-heartened chuckle. He tried, but the smile in his voice just couldn't seem to reach his eyes. "Thank you for the treatment...and the talk."

**[ Commander's Cabin / 9PM ]**

"Jack, you in here?" Shepard called out into the darkness of his room. The biotic was on his bed, laying down on her back with her forearm extended. Her omni-tool was glowing brightly in the dark, several open windows appearing all around her form creating what looked like a holo shield. He watched from the entrance as she worked away, fingers gliding through each window, her eyes moving from side to side as she quickly read then moved on to something else. "What are you up to," he tried again, moving to sit on the ground next to her side of the bed.

"Research," she replied in monotone.

"On?"

Jack reached out to the empty side of the mattress, never taking her eyes off of her reading. Her hand searched around sloppily until she caught hold of a data pad she had been using to compile her notes in. She tossed it over towards him. "This."

John skimmed through the first bit of data, a worn-out smile coming to his face. "You got some information? Miranda gave you what she found?"

"...something like that."

"Would you like to brief me on your findings?"

Jack looked over towards the Commander with a raised brow. "You can't read or what?"

John blinked, looking down at the data pad then back up to her. "I...well of course I can read. I just thought maybe you'd like to tell me about it yourself?"

"Busy."

"Are you now?"

John grinned, picking himself up off the floor and selecting to invade her space, sitting right next to her with his hip against her shoulder. Jack nudged him harshly, trying to push him off but unable to move his weight. "Move over there or get on the other side, fat ass. I'm busy and ain't got the time."

"I'm not asking for anything am I?"

"No, but you seem to be taking up the entire eastern portion of the galaxy right about now."

Shepard leaned a little further into her and tilted his head to read what she was searching, completely ignoring her request. "Henry J. Castor, 2165, Head of Research at the Helios Medical Facility on Eden Prime?"

Jack growled in aggravation, "I can't read with your big ass head in the way! Move!"

"Why are you data-mining information on a doctor? Patient lists, records, deaths..." John picked up Jacks hand and used her finger to scroll through a bit more information. The biotic pulled away and roughly punched him in the bicep.

"Are you going to let me finish what I started, or just keep pissin' around all night?"

"Well, I'd like to help you if you'd let me."

"Oh," Jack laughed icily, "_now _you got the time to help?"

Shepard scooted himself down the bed, lowering his gaze to meet hers. "...I'm sorry. I know it doesn't fix anything or the amount of times that I've fucked up. I've been a real dickhead. A real _busy_ dickhead."

Jack smiled crookedly in amusement, a hand reaching up to playfully smack him on the back of the head. "Watch your language, Shepard."

He leaned in with a chuckle, never taking his baby blue orbs off hers as he grazed her lips with his own. Jack closed her eyes and pushed forward, smiling into the kiss as she felt his warm hand slip up her shoulder towards her neck. But before Jack knew it, Shepard had removed his mouth and placed himself in bed beside her instead, laying out on his back and crossing his legs at the ankle. "Show me what you've got so far."

The ex-convict sat up and shut off the research with a sigh. "Here," she said, removing the chip that she had kept protectively in her omni-tool and tossing it on his stomach. "Watch that."

John picked it up in between his thumb and pointer finger, raising it to give it inspection. "What is it?"

"Just fuckin' watch it, Shepard. Seriously?"

Jack pushed her back against the small, metal headboard and shifted anxiously. Hearing it for what seemed like the hundredth time was so much worse now that someone else was watching this particularly personal moment. When it was finished Shepard paused it on the final image and looked at her curiously. "This is the guy you're looking up?"

She nodded slowly, still unable to return his look. "...yeah."

"Jack?"

"What," she replied quietly, whisper-like.

"...what is it that I've just watched?"

It took Jack a moment, but eventually she lifted a finger up to the holo and wiggled it, "Move it back a bit."

Shepard obliged her, rewinding the vid just far enough so that the woman, both guards, and the doctor were in the shot. Jack pressed her finger forward onto the woman's figure, breaking the holo-image with its tip and causing the entirety of it to fizzle and blur. But she continued to press anyways, moving her digit up and around as if trying to actually feel the woman's outline for the first time. "...that's my mom."

John stared at the figure in wonder, eventually switching his gaze onto Jack and her thoughtful expression. "That's your... mother?"

"Yeah," the biotic said softly, expanding the image and zooming in. "That's her. This chip was labeled in my file. It's how I ended up at Pragia."

"They lied to her?"

"All this time I thought I was just born bad and given away...turns out I've been wrong for twenty-four years of my life. That's a kick, ain't it?"

Shepard pushed himself up into a sitting position. He turned his head and pressed a kiss into her temple, feeling how hard her heart was beating through the pulse he found there. "No one is born bad, Jack. We were all innocent at one time. Some are even blessed to stay innocent enough their whole lives."

The convict cleared her throat, activating and lifting her omni-tool once more. "I've been trying to get as much information on that Castor guy as I can. Hacked into the hospital's old data-files and scooped up his old patient lists and records. I figure if I can match her image to any of those profiles..."

John considered her words very seriously, turning to look at her with an expression just as severe. "Are you trying to find her?"

"Look at her, Shepard." Jack stared at the close up of her mother, eyes softening. "I don't know what I'm going to do," she said fiddling with a pocket of her cargo pants nervously, a rare state for the biotic to be in. "I know you probably think I'm stupid after going through all this to find out about her, but let's get real for a second: look at _me_. What if she has that white picket fence life? Honestly, do I look like I should be part of anyone's white picket fence?"

John moved so he could reach over and take her chin into his fingers, looking at her properly. There wasn't going to be free time aboard the Normandy anymore, not for him. He wouldn't be able to help her. What he was about to do was _all _he could do to help. Everything was beginning to pile, stress was starting to build. Events were unfolding faster than anyone could think of. "...Jack..."

"I really hate when you say my name like that then do this long, dramatic, pussy-ass pause. Just say it. You think I'm being dumb, right? Overreacting? I should just cut this crap out while I'm ahead."

"It's _not _dumb."

Jack pulled away from him and lifted her brow into a perfect arch. "_Really_?"

"I think you should do whatever it is you feel needs to get done. Take the time to figure everything out. You're looking for answers and are trying to figure out what to do, so it's obviously important to you."

"Problem is that I don't know where to start, Shepard. Wait," the biotic said, shaking her head and looking at the man like he'd fallen off his rocker as a baby. "You're tellin' me that I get time to myself for a side-project? Right before we drop off the merc and head to Tortuga?"

Shepard looked down at his bed sheets, "We're running out of time, Jack."

"For what," she asked cautiously, turning her body towards him. "What are you talking about?"

"Your time will come. Your species will fall. Prepare yourselves for the arrival," John repeated softly, each word digging into his mind as if he could actually hear them all over again.

Jack leaned back, her upper lip curling. "Shepard?"

"Harbinger told me that," the Commander continued. "We spoke before the Normandy dropped in for my pickup."

"...holy _shit_..."

"They're coming, Jack. I don't know when, but we're running out of time and may not get another chance. So I want you to do this. Don't worry about this mission on Tortuga. I can handle it."

"Don't go all almighty on me now, wonder-boy." Jack lifted herself onto her knees and crawled forward to straddle her love. "This is some serious stuff happening."

"I got a whole team that can help me this time around," Shepard comforted with a smile. "It'll give you the chance to really dig up what you're looking for. We'll be fine. I'll be fine."

Jack looked down at him, holding his face firmly in her cupped hands for inspection. "You sure? I mean it ain't like I need your permission or nothin', I just don't want you to...you know..."

John grinned, "Get hurt. I know. And I appreciate you for taking me into consideration. Thank you."

"All I'm saying is that you need someone out there to watch your egg-head. You're not about to get all mushy and poetic because of it are you," Jack groaned.

"Nah," Shepard laughed, wrapping his arms around her and lifting her off his lap. "First I'm going to take a bath. Then I'm going to come back here, I'm going to flip you over, kiss and taste every inch of you, and then- -"

"You're gonna beat your old record of a minute-thirty?"

John growled teasingly and nipped at Jack's neck as he laid the lithe woman down on the mattress, causing the biotic to chuckle mellifluously; a hum so light and beautiful that it had easily become Shepard's favorite sound, his sanctuary from the harshness of reality.

"That's right. Now I'm going for two minutes flat. Are you impressed? Did I just make you fall even harder for me?" He wiggled his brows.

"Fall for you? Pfft, this ain't love. I just think I put up with you because you got a nice ass."

"Eh," Shepard said, unaffected by the sting. "Can't win em' all I guess."

"Dick," the biotic laughed, that big, beautiful, toothy smile coming out at last. God, how he missed it sometimes.

"In a second. I need to shower."

"Oh fuck you, Shepard."

"I said in a second!"

"God damn it," Jack laughed once more, harder this time. It was amazing to the Commander how different she had grown to be when they were alone. It had already been a decent amount of time since their relationship had formed, but the biotic still had ways of sending Shepard into fits of admiration on a daily basis. "I do love you," she sighed at last, the fingers that were tangled in his hair now moving down to rest at the nape of his neck. "You're a dumbass, but I love you. Which is why I _just_ might put my data down for a bit so we can get our freaky on..."

Shepard leaned in to give her a quick kiss, "You love me, huh? You're alright, I guess."

Jack pushed the Commander away and sent him a stare made of hellfire and damnation, "Shepard, where I'm from I was the knee-balling champion of the world. I was the damn MVP. So say it back before I knee you in the balls and don't give you none of this tonight."

"I'm kidding! I love you too," he surrendered quickly. "...do I really have an egg-shaped head?"

Jack smiled smugly, already slipping her hand in and down the front of Shepard's boxers. "Shut up and take your pants off. They're in my way."

"Not yet," John said, taking hold of her wrist gently and moving her hand away. "Let me take that shower. Believe me when I say you'll thank me for it later." A small crinkle appeared on Jack's nose and the Commander couldn't help but laugh. "I'll just be a few minutes."

"Hurry up," the biotic growled, pushing her love off of her body.

"I will. And Jack?"

"Yep?"

"I don't know if this would help you decide in what to do but...Chambers once told me that if you're looking for answers sometimes it helps if you record your thoughts or write them down. Keeping track of what you think makes it a little easier to come to a conclusion. Anyways it's just an idea," Shepard continued, shuffling around near the lavatory entrance. "I'll be out in a bit."

The room was still after that. Jack thought, perhaps more carefully than ever about the advice that Shepard had given her. She weighed out the pros and cons, suspiciously calculating how open this could leave her, how badly it could mark her. There were thoughts in her head that had yet to be voiced. Perhaps they remained unspoken for a reason, or maybe she always just lacked the courage to speak them. Unsigned poetry was therapeutic enough, in a vague, indirect sort of way. This would be expression on a whole new level, straight and agonizingly honest. But still, the curiosity was there for her.

The biotic eyed her omni-tool, twisting her forearm as she examined it. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe it really _would_ help her figure out what to do. "Fuck it. Kelly might be a ho, but she's a smart ho."

After another moment of deliberation Jack hit the button.

_"Where do I start this crap? I guess basics? Uh..._

_My name is Jack. I'm about to hit twenty-five. I like the color red?"_

Jack shook her head, clicking her tongue in irritation as she looked away from her omni-tool's focus point. There was an impatient feeling lingering somewhere deep within that slowly trickled its way out through voiced doubt. Yet she still stalled and knew it, unable and unknowing of where to start. "..._this is fucking stupid. I take it all back. Kelly's a dumb ho." _she exhaled.

She went quiet for a while, every so often chancing a glance into the recorder. It captured her hesitance and awkwardness; an uncomfortable defenselessness that shone plainly through her sad, almost child-like facial expressions. One of the most beautiful things about the ex-convict were her eyes though, large and expressive. Hazel, more green than brown, more deep than empty.

Jack bit her lip, rubbed the back of neck or popped her joints; always moving and looking, processing and considering until...

_"...my mother had no idea that I was alive when I was taken from her. They told her that the eezo in my body caused complications and eventually ended in my death. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. Shit, the first time I saw it...it felt like everything was just being ripped apart. I lived through Pragia, but I couldn't figure out how the hell I was still standing after watching that. Everything changed for me because some guy told a lie. That was it. A few smooth sentences changed the entire outcome of my life._

_That's a bitch to think about, ain't it? You get sick one day, mom takes you to the doctor, the doctor says you died, asks for your body, then ships you out in a cargo box. That's when the fun really starts for you._

_I remember when I was little and was first brought to the Teltin facility on Pragia. They would beat me until I learned to fight, drugged me until I couldn't feel, and trained me until I couldn't remember anything; not family, not friends. They forcefully took everything that I was and everything that I could be but..."_

Jack shifted herself on the bed self-consciously.

_"Okay, this is gonna sound stupid or cheesy but... they couldn't take my dreams. For the longest time I would lay under my desk and just cry until I fell asleep. All I wanted was a break, ya know? And for a small while my dreams would give me that._

_I used to have such beautiful dreams. Sometimes they were so real that they almost seemed like memories rather than somethin' my imagination cooked up._

_I would see a house, a little efficient complex that hovers over kilometers of green fields and orchards. I would see a kid, all happy and squealing as a man lifted her up in his hands and twirled her around crushing her into the warmest of hugs. He would put her down and ruffle her curly hair before turning his attention to a woman. The kid would look up at him with her big eyes and watch as he caressed that woman's cheek. The woman had eyes and hair just like the little girls. The three of them had a kind of glow around them…a light, I guess. That image was hard to forget. I know someone like the cheerleader would give me shit for wondering this; she'd probably pull out a chart from her ass and explain how it's impossible, but I do still wonder from time to time:_

_Does a family really do that when they're together? Glow? I mean not like a fuckin' floodlight but...something you can still __almost__ see?_

_Anyways, when my eyes opened there would only be the darkness of my cell and the feel of bile in my empty stomach. It was always __**just**__ a dream. I would wake and remember that I'd never be familiar with that warm feeling no matter how hard I wished for it. There was no love in Pragia. And as the years passed and my biotic power increased and my body developed ...that statement only rang all the more true. I knew that no woman as used and fucked up as I was, was ever meant for that kind of life...for that kind of light._

_I didn't dream after that._

_Then suddenly this amazing, bright eyed guy smiled at me. He saved me, that idiot. Kissed me. Loved me. Made me feel normal. He gave me my first dream in years. _

_And I changed. I'm still changing, I think. I know I wanna be better, do better. Hey, I even managed to not put a bullet between Lawson's fake boobs after finding out she held out on me. I mean it's not like the bitch has a heart there anyways, but that's still progress right?"_

Jack turned her face downwards to look at her forearm and the inked profile of a woman who looked just like herself.

_"There's only ever one set back for me. They're the memories that I've forced myself to forget, but the lessons that I've made myself remember. I could always feel the weight of my tattoos. Some nights I swear that they get heavier, squeezing me and reminding me of what I am..._

_...but that woman on that screen, my mom...she's clean. Ain't a single marking on that skin. We don't look anything alike. Our stories are too dif..."_

Jack rubbed her face roughly, no longer able to look at the recording omni-tool. The contrast between the woman in the holo and herself...it was brutal. It was the truth. To Jack she looked like one of those people that were lucky to stay 'innocent-enough' throughout their lives. There were no scars or tattoos on her skin, a powerful contrast to her own tainted body and marred and spoiled mindset.

_"Damn it, I can't do this..."_

Shepard emerged from the bathroom just then, his towel wrapped tightly around his waist. "Did you say something?"

"I shouldn't be looking this stuff up," the ex-convict said delicately, honestly. "That kid that she knew and raised is dead."

John sat down next her and placed a hand on her thigh. "You sure you want to make a decision this quickly?"

"The only thing I've ever been one-hundred percent sure of is the shotgun I keep on my back. But I got a feeling about this. Maybe knowing that she loved me is all that I ever needed to find out."

Assuming that the woman was alive, what would Jack have done had she found her mother? After an introduction and explanation of her physical self, how would she explain the baggage that came with it? How would she explain that after just finding each other, she would have to pack her bags and leave again on a journey to which she may never return? Can a mother handle losing the same child twice? Death seemed to be a reoccurring theme aboard the Normandy, a theme that all parents are ill equipped to handle when pertaining to their children. Her mother didn't need that.

The biotic looked at her omni-tool. Her hand reached over to cease its recording. There was a genuine certainty behind her touch, like what she was deciding to do was undoubtedly the _right_ thing to do at this time. Suddenly everything that June had ever spoken to her of was starting to make sense. His voice flooded her senses.

It clicked.

_Do you have family, Jack? Because if you do then you should know the lengths you're willing to go to make sure they're cared for and happy._

Jack knew that she belonged to somebody out in the galaxy. She _did _have a family. Knowing this was enough; It sparked a calling of sorts within her, made her long to have the chance at being a good daughter to her mother...even if she could only be good from a distance.

And staying dead was being the best daughter that she could be.

"Maybe one day my choice will be different," Jack said, speaking to herself more than anyone else. "One day when we're not off saving the world I'll come back to these files. For now I guess you'll just have to be enough," she teased, leaning over to nudge John on his shoulder.

Shepard sucked in air, his face scrunching up. "I don't think I'd be a very good mom."

"No," Jack grinned, "but you're a semi-satisfactory lay. That'll do."

John looked at her and offered a cheesy smile, something that only ever came out for Jack. He looked down to her hand and placed it in his own, watching as she turned her palm to face his so that their fingers intertwined.

Jack squeezed.

**[ Miranda's Office / 10PM ]**

"Bugger me."

Miranda rubbed her eyes. The faint color of purple shaded the half moon beneath her orbs, adding 'bags' to her always perfect skin. She breathed out deeply, not being able to recall the last time she had slept since London was injured. Working at the terminal only made it worse. Time was dragging; it felt like it was four in the morning, but the clock on the screen was showing her different. It was still early in the evening.

She discontinued her typing for a second and paused to lean back in her chair. Miranda looked down towards her first desk drawer and bit her lip as she slowly slid it open. Sitting on the top of several neatly filed data pads and folders was a small desk frame with a black screen. Lawson picked it up and pressed her finger onto it, a dim, white light emitting before the holo appeared.

Miranda and London had been laying down together. Miranda was on her stomach with her arms folded underneath her cheek, the skin of her shoulders and back exposed to the 'lens'. London was wrapped in a towel, apparently having just emerged from the shower before deciding to attack the XO with holo-graphs. The photo was at an angle from above the two, catching the length of London's arm as she pressed a kiss against the closed-lidded Miranda's forehead.

The operative couldn't recall when the holo itself was taken, but she could remember the exact reason on why she chose to keep it. She was smiling in the picture. And it wasn't a _'smile because you have to for the omni-tool'_ kind of smile. Miranda was smiling because...she meant it. That event in itself was rare, and it was even rarer to capture it on any kind of device. Miranda kept it to remind herself of that feeling.

Happy. It's a simple, silly little word...but so much is packed into it.

"Working hard?" Jacob had caught the operative off guard, causing Miranda to snap to attention and shove the image back into the drawer before slamming it closed. "Sorry," the officer laughed. "Didn't mean to surprise you. Kasumi ran off somewhere and I thought I'd take the time to grab something to eat. Saw that your light was on and came over." He lifted his right hand to reveal one of the two things he had taken from the kitchen. "Everyone knows where Ken hides a few beers. Figured you might join me in one? I promise I won't tell the Commander." Jacob formed a cross over his heart.

"Probably not the best of ideas right now, Jacob. But thank you."

"I figured you'd say that," he said, lifting his left hand to show two teas. "Tea?"

Miranda couldn't help but chuckle at her friends strategy. "Very nice. I think I'll have to accept this time."

"Here ya go," Jacob grinned, tossing one of the closed containers over to her. "So what's going on, Lawson?"

Miranda opened her drink and took a small, polite sip before nodding her head over at her terminal screen. "It's the after-action report from Shepard's solo mission. I was just giving it a read over now that I have the time."

"What's it say," the officer asked, moving an armchair over towards her desk-chair. "I haven't even been to my terminal today. We got the news though."

"Dr. Amanda Kenson was rescued from a Batarian prison on the planet Aratoht, and Shepard confirmed her proof of a Reaper invasion. Shepard was captured by Kenson, who had been indoctrinated by a Reaper artifact. Shepard escaped and activated the Project, destroying the Alpha Relay and ending the Reaper invasion. Dr. Kenson did not survive. The Bahak System and all its inhabitants ...were destroyed."

Jacob shook his head and slumped into his chair while taking a swig from his tea. "Whew, must have been some call to make."

"It was the only logical one," Miranda shrugged. "He tried to warn the colony, but in the end time was just not on his side. Shepard managed to single-handily prevent what could have been the greatest disaster to- -"

"Stalled," Jacob corrected.

The XO considered the word before nodding in agreement, tipping her tea up towards the man. "Stalled. Correct, he has _stalled _this disaster. What do you make of all this?"

"What do we ever make of anything, Lawson? I think we're just going to have to do the best we can when the time comes. Consider it; what did we think about going through the Omega Four Relay? Impossible odds. Suicide missions. And yet...here we are," Jacob said, finally clinking his bottle against hers. "We live to fight another day. Shepard's a good man, a good _Commander_. I believe and trust in him and I believe and trust in this team."

"Hmm," Miranda grunted, more sound than word or feeling.

"It's alright to be a little freaked by it, Miri."

"I'm not 'freaked', _Jacob_. War doesn't scare me. It's straightforward It's everything _else _that bothers me from time to time."

"You think war is simple?"

"Simple enough if you were to truly put it in layman's terms. You're either the one pulling the trigger who wins, or the one that gets killed and loses. Sure, if you'd like to get complicated then you'd find that the truths of war are contradictory. It's both grotesque and beautiful at once, because for all its horror you can't help but gape at the appalling magnificence of warfare. There's a kind of majesty in it."

"Your ruthlessness worries me. You've managed to break something like war down but you find something _else _to be difficult to comprehend? Like what?"

"Just a figure of speech," Miranda said with a shrug, indifferently changing the subject. "How are you and Kasumi," she asked, keeping the opening of her bottle near her lips in thought. There would be no way she'd voice her concerns in a straight-forward fashion.

"We're alright," Jacob replied, a bit disbelieving as to why she'd ask such a question. It was uncharacteristic. "Still functioning normally- -well, as normal as we can in this situation. I worry about her out in the field sometimes. She likes the excitement and I freak out a little when she randomly goes stealth and ends up behind the guy we're all _targeting_, but she's a very skilled woman who knows what she's doing out there. She makes me happy," he carried on with a gentle smile. "And I'm glad she's here. Shepard gave us the heads up; we all know that shit will hit the fan sooner or later. I feel bad for the guys on this ship who have their loved ones waiting for them back at home, you know? That guy Robert from the C.I.C has a wife back on Earth with a _kid_ on the way. I get to make the most out of my time here with Kasumi. He can't say the same thing, the poor bastard. He works here, but we all know where his heart really is."

Miranda had finished off her tea before leaning her head back against her chair's headrest and closing her eyes. The tiny migraine she had developed much earlier this evening was beginning to grow in strength.

"You been sleeping alright, Lawson?"

"I sleep fine, just not very much," she lied. She hadn't been sleeping at all. "Gotta' keep up with all this paper work before I drown in it. I've also been trying to frequently update the data that Shepard and I have been mining and compiling on the Reapers: what's known of their history, facts, weapons, little details, old reports, etcetera. Anything and everything that might aid us in the coming days."

"You're starting to spread yourself thin, Miri. We don't know when they'll arrive. Believe me I understand the importance of this, Shepard has the rest of us doing our parts as well. But you're the only one that seems to be trying to do it all at once. You need rest."

How was Miranda supposed to say that working herself to the ground was the only way she could stay focused, was the only way she could currently keep herself together? "You're not the first to tell me that, and you won't be the first that I prove wrong. You know that I enjoy working."

"_Too_ much if you ask me."

"Good thing I didn't," the XO winked.

"Alright then," the officer said with a laugh as he got up to his feet and returned his chair to its original position. "It's getting late so I'll get out of your hair. We dock at the Citadel in a few hours so I need my beauty sleep before having to deal with tomorrow's inventory check. I'll catch you later."

"Thanks for the visit, Jacob. Really."

Jacob turned to smile at her, nodding his head firmly before making his exit. "Any time. Get some sleep. I'm serious. Take a breather from all this work."

Miranda got off her chair after that and moved over towards her bed. She plopped down on her usual left side and turned to face her nightstand to open the second drawer. "Take a breather, hmm?" The broken jewelry box that London had given her was still inside along with a few crafting materials that were left behind. She caught the corner of her lip lifting almost automatically as her hand glided across the lid's smooth surface.

"Why don't you work, what are you missing," she asked herself, reaching around to crank the small, oval lever. She turned the object over delicately and observed its base when there was no sound, twisting and turning it at all angles before finally opening the hasp to look inside. Empty.

Miranda closed it and set the box back down into the drawer. Structure wise it was simple. It didn't have any of the flare that, say, Drell or Asari boxes did. It was homemade; human and heavily influenced by human culture, so several vids were soon downloading on her omni-tool as well as the history and diagrams of jewelry boxes made from the 1500s until modern times.

Lawson took note of all parts usually needed in the creation of such a thing. A few seconds was all it took to have the parts ordered and ready for pickup tomorrow morning. She directed a team that built the infamous Commander John Shepard. How hard could fixing this be? If anything, it was good to take her mind off things if only for a moment.

God knows she needed it right now.

**[ Portside Observation / 10PM ]**

"Knock, knock." Kasumi halted at the entrance of London's quarters, her hands neatly held in front of her tummy as she looked upon the frame of the injured sniper. "Lond?" The brunette had been slumped on the bed, stretched out along her side and facing away from the empty space of her quarters, pale lavender sheets covering her all up the up to her chin. Her hair was loose, sprawling across the pillows like a silky river of chestnut. Kasumi sighed worriedly, walking slowly across the space in between them and choosing to sit on the side that London was not occupying. "Hey," the thief tried. "You haven't eaten anything all day. You need to keep your strength up if you're going to get better. Would you like to take a walk out into the mess hall for some food? Helen said it'd be good for you to stretch your legs a bit. You weren't feeling to well when she tried to work with your earlier. Are you sick?"

A weak shake of the head was the only response Kasumi was given, causing her to reach up and remove her hood. "You sure?" She inched closer to London and placed a hand on her shoulder, eyebrows furrowing in sadness when she felt the flesh beneath her palm begin to tremble. Kasumi moved her thumb up and down, kneading the skin of London's shoulder consolingly. "Oh. So it's true? Miranda...she might...?"

The XO had been trying to make up her mind, opting that both women 'take time to really think'. Kasumi closed her eyes and sighed, not knowing anything else to do except let the length of her body slide underneath the covers with the sniper. London quaked harder upon the contact, Kasumi could feel the way her stomach shook as she placed her arm firmly on the young brunette's midsection. "Everything will be alright," she whispered, hugging the woman close as one sister would do another. "She's just trying to work things out the best way she can."

"I'm tired of hearing that," the brunette said quietly. "She's not happy _with_ me and she's not happy _without_ me. I don't know what she wants, but she needs to figure it out soon or I won't be around to hear her answer."

"Of course she's happy with you. Lond, you know the kind of woman that she is. Her life has always been straight and narrow. There was work, work, and Oriana. She never had to worry about anyone other than her sister and herself. You can't expect her to be perfect after moving out of that box. Everything in her life has changed. Don't shrug at me," Kasumi chuckled, moving her hand to squeeze London's shoulder. "She stopped working for Cerberus, has been helping Shepard deal with the Alliance and the Council, has helped _your _sister get situated, and opened up her world to you. All of those things are new. It'll take more than the few months you've given her to get it all right. On the contrary to her genetics, Miranda isn't perfect. She's actually pretty crappy at a few things: Ping-pong being one."

"Ping-p..." London shook her head, "You know, this hasn't been a walk in the gardens for me either! My mother told me when I was young that when someone breaks your heart, you're allowed to cry for them _one_ time. You get all of that pain and frustration out, and then you pick yourself up off the floor and continue on with life. I've already cried for Miranda like four times. I'm stupid to even still be sticking around. If it's not her trying to hide our relationship from the entirety of this crew, then it's her injecting me with a fucking _sedative_ so I can stop talking. Who does that, Kasumi! Enough is enough. I'm tired. I'm tired of this run-around, and I'm tired of her playing hot and cold." Her throat was tight the entire time she spoke, always on the verge of cracking but always managing to somehow recover. Saying it aloud only made the words sting worse.

"Okay, okay." Kasumi held her hand up in peace. "Hey. Speaking of hot and cold; I think I'll hang around here for a bit. You've given me more action in thirty seconds than Jacob has in days."

London smiled weakly, her poor attempt at laughter sounding more like a whimper. Even through clothing Kasumi's heat felt good against the seemingly never ending chill of London's skin, and the sniper eventually found the need to cry subside. Puffy eyes were all that remained as she inhaled the warm scent of the thief. It was a comforting smell; warm like sunlight and sweet like brown sugar and fig.

"Check this out," Kasumi smiled, lifting an arm up to activate her omni-tool. "I transferred a few of my musty old books onto my drive. Wanna' read a story? I have tons on this thing. I prefer to feel the pages in my hands but this is good too when you're always on the move and don't wanna lug around a book worth more than the mission will probably pay."

"...you really don't have to do any of this, Kas." London sniffled, raising a tissue from underneath the sheets to wipe her nose and chuckling at how ridiculously bad she must look right about now. Thank God she was facing away from her friend. "I'm just having an off night. I'm not usually like this, I swear."

"Stop being all G.I. Jane and shaddup' for a bit. Besides, it's not for you! I happen to love reading these things and showing off my collection," Kasumi mused. "Here, let's try this one," she insisted, nudging into London's back as if to prove a point. "It's actually one of my favorites. I tried reading it with Jacob but he thinks little of it, that boring old fart..."

London nodded halfheartedly, pushing her back into her friend and praying to anyone who'd pay heed that her mind go blank if only for a short moment. She closed her eyes and listened as Kasumi began to speak, pretending that the body she felt behind her was Miranda's but knowing better to believe in her wishes. This would have to do for now. This would have to be enough. So London laid there, wrapped in both the warmth of friendship and the iciness of heartbreak all at once. It hurt. The very first person that London learned to trust in a long, long time ended up injuring her far past the wounds received from The Velvet Vault.

"Chapter One," Goto began. "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighborhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters..."

**[10 AM]**

By the time both women had woken up it was already late morning. The fact that no one had awoken them was no surprise, today was meant to be a day for transferring June into the Citadel's custody. Shepard was to be accompanied by Garrus and drop him off alone, so it was not shocking when Kasumi looked out the observation window and found that the ship had already docked. The crew had probably unloaded and was spending time either restocking or using their personal credits elsewhere.

London groaned and rubbed her eyes as she propped herself up with her elbows. "...what time is it?"

Kasumi chuckled, "It's around ten."

"Ugh," the sniper smiled, plopping back down onto her pillow. "We went to sleep three and a half hours ago."

"Didn't I tell you that it was an addicting story?"

"You did. I was adequately warned."

"So," Kasumi grinned evilly, running back towards the bed and dive bombing in. She offered up her best puppy-dog eyes. "Want to see if we can finish the rest tonight?"

"...you're on."

"Yes!" The thief cooed happily, throwing her arms around the brunette and hugging tightly. "Then we can watch some kind of tacky chick-flick! Jacob _hates _watching those with me."

"You're totally only using me to fill in all those gaps in your life, aren't you?"

"Little bit."

"That's fine," the sniper laughed. "Only maybe this time we should start a bit earlier than ten or eleven at- -"

"I just came back from the Citadel only to have Dr. Chakwas come up to me and- -" Miranda had barged into London's quarters only to stop a few feet inside to take notice of Kasumi wrapped around the brunette, her left eyebrow ticking up in curiosity, irritation, and...perhaps a little jealousy.

"Oh," London said coolly. "Mr. Darcy, I wasn't expecting you. Good morning."

Kasumi stiffled her laugh, bringing up her hand and trying her best to play it off as a cough. Miranda folded her arms and looked upon the two with an unimpressed demeanor, "London, why didn't you show up for your checkup? You _need_ to get better."

"I _am _getting better. I feel great today," she lied, a little too well. "I'll be fit for duty in no time. I will head over to the Medical Bay in a short while and then maybe, if my _second in command_ allows me to breathe, go for a walk by myself."

Miranda looked at the sniper, her eyes betraying her before struggling to go back to neutral. "Your second in command wouldn't even be here to give this friendly reminder if her _specialist_ had shown up to her _scheduled _medical examination as she was intended to."

..._wouldn't even be here... _"Noted. I be sure to apologize to Dr. Chakwas for losing track of time; my lack of attendance was not intended. Is there anything else you needed?" London kept her unyielding gaze until the XO took a step back, trying her best to ignore the pounding of her heart.

"No, that'll...that'll be all. Now if you'll excuse me I have work that needs my attention."

Kasumi frowned as Miranda left London's quarters, soon turning to face the young brunette with what seemed to be everlastingly shrugged shoulders and a bewildered expression. "What the _hell_ was that? Nu-uh," she wiggled her finger. "I don't like you two like this."

London pressed her palms to her face and inhaled deeply to keep from breaking down into another fit of misery. After taking the moment to gather herself, she looked back at Kasumi with eyes much sadder than before. "I know. I'm giving her what she wants. If Miranda wants to be nothing more than an XO to me, then you know what? Fine. While she works everything out I'll make her life easier and just...pretend."

"That's not right," the thief scowled. "She loves you. It's flippin' obvious! All that fire and doom isn't fooling me one bit-from either of you. And what the hell calling her Mr. Darcy?" Kasumi couldn't keep that smile from returning again.

"She's difficult to love, doesn't like when people smile, she's not very agreeable, overly genteel, and has a terrible temper. I'd say that Darcy and Miranda were one and the same if I didn't know any better."

"Really now," Kasumi considered quietly. "You don't mean those things. You're just angry with her at this time."

"I know," the sniper agreed at a pathetically fast pace.

"You two need to seriously talk about this."

"We have. She says that she's afraid I'll get hurt because of my lack of training. She's worried that she'll make a bad call if I'm out on the field."

"So train," Kasumi laughed. "Get better at what you already do well. It's a simple solution. There's no need for all this gloom and doom. If she's legitimately concerned for your wellbeing then bring it up to the Commander and see what he can do to help. You're working underneath a very good man, Lond. Let him help you."

"Kas, this isn't the kind of thing I should be talking to him about."

"Well don't go crying to the man because you're having relationship problems. That's not what I'm suggesting you go to him for. I'm saying if it's a concern about your ability to function on a battlefield then yes, he'll most definitely want to hear about it."

London turned onto her back and tilted her head to look at her friend. "Miranda does have a justifiable reason to be concerned, but I'm not the only one that's not military trained am I? Ken and Gabby?"

"Trained. You won't usually find them in combat scenarios because of their tech background, but they do know how to use a heavy pistol if need be."

"Kelly?"

"She's trained too. I guess she'd be in a similar boat to the engineers, but take out the tech degree and replace it with a psychology one."

"Grunt!"

"Not trained to fight," Kasumi smiled. "He was born and bred to fight. It's _literally_ in his genetics."

"Tali!" London shot out a finger like she had just scored the jackpot.

"Tali was raised as the daughter of an Admiral. She knows her way around a military text-book better than any soldier. Now add all of that combat experience that's under her belt and...you get it."

The brunette groaned dolefully, knowing all of this was making her previous statement absolutely worthless. She couldn't compete with any of this! London didn't have a degree; didn't have any sort of military background or family relations involved in the system. "Fine, I'll speak with Shepard."

"There is a lot of weight riding on the Normandy's shoulders. But both Shepard and Lawson get the brunt of it. You can't blame her for the concerns she has. So instead of wallowing in here all day let's get up and get ready. You apparently have a one on one with Chakwas and I need to help Jacob with inventory before lunch. Do you need a hand getting to the Med Bay?"

"No, I can walk just fine by myself. My body is just sore, not shattered. I'm just going to take a quick bath before I head over. I'll see you later tonight, okay?"

"Alright. But do one thing for me?"

"...depends on the thing," the dancer said hesitantly, trying her best to not come off as uncaring or rude. It always worried her when people asked that question. In her old line of work it was something she absolutely hated being asked.

"Don't be hasty. I know everything with you and Lawson is all topsy-turvy right now, but please don't make any brash decisions. Give her a shot, okay? I'll see you later."

**[ Communication's Room / 1PM ]**

"Is everything clear with the Citadel Security Service?"

"Sure is, Shepard." Garrus nodded, finishing off the last of the messages. "Venari Pallin has set up three separate divisions to help in the transfer. We got two people from the Special Response unit coming in to help with the actual relocation itself, a few personnel from the Networks department coming to claim his omni-tool for further inspection, and some guy from a random Elite-Patrolling unit that's coming to claim that data pad Kasumi found in June's bag back at the Vault. Given the sensitivity of the information, Pallin will be putting one of his 'best' on it. They're worried someone within that Alliance corporation is transporting very illegal materials to shady individuals, individuals that just might have to deal in Anderson's little problem. It's a hunch really, but at least they're doing _something_ instead of sitting on their thumbs all day."

"Alright then," Shepard said with a clap of the hands. "Send the okay to the two men and/or women from Special Response."

"Got it. They're inbound."

"June. If there's anything left to say, now's the time. They're going to take your omni-tool and majority of your other tech belongings from us."

"What am I going to hide, Shepard? I already confessed to working for these people. There'd be no point in exterminating or hiding data now."

"No, but if you willingly helped me your jury would take that into consideration."

"I got nothing. I've told you what I know."

"Fine. Let's go." The Commander grasped June firmly by his bicep and pulled the man to his feet. "Move."

"Don't forget our agreement: information in exchange for the protection of my family."

"I didn't forget," John said sternly, walking the man out of his ship and holding him at the docking stations entrance. "You just better be telling me the truth."

"The eezo vessel will dock at Tortuga on the first of next month just like I said. It's a tiny ship by cargo standards and won't be difficult to point out. Be there by then and you'll get what you're looking for."

Garrus watched the area carefully as Shepard continued speaking. "Is there any resistance that I should be aware of?"

"Now that Riley and I have been gone there could have been replacements issued to the hive. I'm not sure. Parker, the head scientist, and his assistant are the only individuals that will be on aboard that I _concretely_ know of."

"Heads up, Shepard. Special Response and the rest of the hoity-toitys are here."

John nodded at Garrus before nudging the mercenary into a walk. "Tell them what you've told me and they might go easy on you."

"I'm not expecting any favors, Commander."

The Response unit was first to walk up towards the Normandy crew, both men saluting Shepard properly. "Sir. We've been assigned to take this man into custody, we'll take it from here. Admiral Anderson would like to have a word with you up in his office."

"That's fine. Here are the items that were confiscated." The Networks team took June's omni-tool as intended, as did the Patrolling unit who claimed the data pad. When the exchange was complete all three units diverged into separate paths.

Garrus put his rifle away with an unenthused expression. "Well that was anti-climatic."

John looked around for anyone in talking distance. "Did you get the link and access code to his omni-tool?"

"Sure did. Already sent the information to Tali. She'll have already hacked in and copied all files before that unit even sits down at their desks."

"Good work. I can take it from here, Garrus. Go ahead and clear your station. Enjoy this time while you got it."

"You sure? I ain't exactly got a list of to-dos."

"Then go make one," John grinned, patting the Turian roughly on the back before walking off towards the transit terminal. "Actually," he paused. "Ask Miranda to meet me up at Anderson's office. It's the same place we dropped off Teagan at. And since we got Tali rolling, get her and Legion to hack into that Patrolling unit's data mainframe."

"I'm all for fun and excitement, but is that a smart thing to do, Shepard? You know that the guy in charge of the Citadel divisions is the one who put out that order to claim the pad, right? You really wanna hack in on that? That's a whole lot of political backfire that could come raining down on your parade if you get caught. And having just blew up the Batarians...you're not exactly on his good side right now."

"Tali and Legion put together are better hackers than any of their hundred. I want to know what that division is able to pull from tracking that data. If the Exo-Geni corporation sent something to this hive, I want to know what it was."

Garrus nodded, "Could be tricky, but I'll tell them. Hell I might even get in on the fun."

**[ ****Top levels of the Citadel/ Human Embassy / Anderson's Office / 2 PM]**

"Shepard, Ms. Lawson," Anderson called over, asking the pair to sit on two chairs opposite himself. He was sitting at a small table on his office's balcony, a view that overlooked the entirety of the citadel below. "You're just in time. Sit down and have something to eat. You two like steak?"

Both of them walked over and nodded, sitting in the offered chairs and looking over the multiple data-pads that littered the table.

"Good. Throw your boots up and take a breather then. Shepard, I heard what you managed to do down on Aratoht. Glad to see you're alright."

"Any news from the council? Have preparations against the Reapers begun?"

"There's no evidence to go by, Commander. They're denying the threat as of now until all unknowns are brought to light. All they have to work with is the word of Hackett and your after action report. There's no hard evidence. Had Kenson been brought back alive we might have a different story, but we don't. What we _do_ have is the Batarians on the council's doorstep looking for blood with their gazes cast at the humans."

John leaned back into his seat and picked up one of the many data pads. "With all due respect, Admiral...that's bullshit."

"You know how politics work, John. We're doing the best that we can without drowning right now. But while the human embassy works on that, I need _you _to focus on this for just a while longer."

"I'm assuming what I'm looking at in this pad is concerning my mission?"

"It is, yes. These are the medical files of the children who've gone missing, each with a genetic abnormality due to prenatal eezo exposure."

"There's a lot more than three kids here, Admiral."

"The counts gone up a bit since your last visit, Shepard. It's peculiar, each child is showing a linking strand in their genetic structure, a coding with similar qualities but still vastly different. This strand deals with the children's ability in biotics."

Shepard nodded his head, "Have you gotten the report from June?"

"I have," Anderson said wearily. "I got a few minutes ago and what he says makes sense given the facts we know now, given the similarities that we're aware of. They are testing some sort of factor in a biotic's makeup. My question is why these people are targeting human children for testing, and more importantly- - what is it that they're looking for."

Miranda reviewed each pad carefully. "They're most likely targeting human children because compared to other races in the galaxy, humans are much more genetically diverse. If testing is what they're doing, then extremists would be the first to choose humans as their subjects. Our deoxyribonucleic acid enables a broader range of modalities and exploration. There'd be more variables which would offer a greater variety of options to follow up on."

"Teagan was the only known child biotic to have the so called 'missing factor' in her coding. June couldn't tell me what that factor was, or even what they were testing for. He didn't know. But maybe," John thought, "since a human child was the only known subject to have their determining factor, these scientists believe that another child somewhere might possess the same kind of genetic strand."

"That's ridiculous, Commander. Trying to find an identical, if not exact genetic match amongst random children would be like finding a needle in space. Unless the child had a twin, finding such material would be near impossible if not completely. There are alternatives such as cloned tissue, but I don't believe that's a factor here, or at least not one we're aware of."

"But if you were a desperate extremists who just might be on the verge of something? Would you try to find someone who's as close to the original as possible?"

"Well," the XO considered. "Extremists are known to be...extreme."

"They've been trying to find a replacement for the data they've lost. Both Sanders and Riley were looking for a chip that contained all of Teagan's information before being killed and captured. Without that information, I assume these scientists have been set back quite the while."

Anderson nodded his head, "And we have no idea where this chip is now?"

"My team and I have searched high and low, Admiral. The kid's father took its location to the grave with him."

"I see. I suppose that means we'll just have to wait until you've managed to get into that hive."

"Yes, sir. The known hive is called the SS Atlantis. According to June's information it docks on the first of every month for supplies on a station named Tortuga out in the Nemean abyss."

"That's a few days from now, isn't it?"

"It is. The Normandy will remain docked here until tomorrow morning. We'll arrive days in advance to scout and hack into the station's older shipping logs. Tali should be able to give us a pattern concerning which dock they prefer to load out under, as well as any similarities on times they might show up at."

"It looks like you've got this all planned out, Shepard."

"It's what I do, Admiral. And I have one hell of a team that helps."

"Glad to hear it, John. Now let's get those steaks out here and eat. We've all got pressing matters to attend to."

"Actually I'd like to take a rain check on that steak, sir. I didn't realize that evening was already approaching. I'm still in need of speaking with one of my specialists aboard the Normandy."

"That's fine then. We'll debrief in person when you return to this system. Good luck out there, Commander."

**xxxxxxx**

"Lawson," Shepard announced firmly as the pair entered into the C.I.C, breaking away from the elevator and making a sharp right to head into the Tech Lab. "Head down into engineering to see if Tali was able to pick up anything useful. I don't expect information in regards to the data pad just yet, but she should have retrieved something from the omni-tool by now."

"And if she hasn't, Commander?"

"Then she better be getting it to me in five minutes."

"Of course. I'll head over right away."

John nodded his head in dismissal before turning to pass through the Tech Lab's doorway. The Salarian doctor was standing in his usual spot and researching data on a variety of subjects. "Ah, Shepard. Good to see you. Just in time! Got in new shipment of biotic dampeners and oils. Feel free."

"Thanks I think, but that's not why I'm here. Mordin, when the time comes to enter the Atlantis I'll be needing your expertise out there with me. I assume you got those medical reports that I sent to you this afternoon?"

"Happy to help, Shepard. Yes, been reading reports, digging deeper into research. Implications of mission is...disturbing. Children subjected to testing. Sloppy. Appalling. Inexcusable. No place in proper science."

John leaned against one of the many work stations and crossed his arms. "What do you make of all this, Solus?"

"Hard to say. Humans offer to many variables. Testing could be for anything, plague or cure alike. Need to see data and statistical analysis."

"We'll get that for you as soon as we can," John said. "We still have a few days, but I'll let you know when we're ready to begin. Make sure to keep yourself updated in the meantime, alright? Keep looking into those reports and contact me the second you think anything is even remotely worth mentioning."

Mordin nodded happily as he returned to his research. "Will do, Shepard. You know where to find me. And please, do take oils."

**[ Mess Hall/ 9PM]**

_-*- We need to talk. Will you stop by?-*-_

_~M_

It had taken a while for London to become accustomed to checking her omni-tool for messages. She had spent the years of her life managing to function without one, so getting into the habit had proven to be tricky. By the time she had checked her unread messages it was eight-thirty in the evening. Crew members were gathered in the mess hall, split up in several large groups per table. Despite the news of an impending invasion, everyone seemed to be in relatively high spirits. They chatted endlessly, some laughing, and others preferring to simply eat and reflect quietly in the company of good people.

London waved to a few who had signaled to her first, shaking her head with a genuine smile at their offer of companionship and food. She continued on her way quietly towards the operative's office door, stopping only when she noticed the light at its center glowed red. London lifted her hand hesitantly and let it hover over the colored circle. Moments passed before she simply sighed and let her limb fall to her side. It was getting late and she had read the message far passed its delivery to her omni-tool.

The dancer turned around quickly and made her way back to her quarters, pausing only briefly to look at the time. Kasumi had messaged her about arriving late this evening so London was not expecting to find someone sitting quietly on her couch, legs crossed and arms folded upon entering.

"...Miranda?"

The Operative looked awful. The bags underneath her eyes seemed to have deepened in color, and there was a slight, very uncharacteristic slump to her posture as she sat. It was plain as day that the woman was tired both physically, mentally, and just _maybe _emotionally. London took a second to gather herself before approaching the woman, choosing to sit in the middle of the couch rather than directly next to her.

"I'm sorry, I know that I should have given you a warning to my company. I had sent you a message but received no replay...so I took the matter into my own hands and...here I am. We need to talk," she repeated, echoing the words from her earlier note.

"Miranda when was the last time you slept," the brunette asked, blatantly ignoring the XO's request to speak of their issues. In all honesty the state of the operative had caught London off guard. It worried the dancer that Miranda had been pushing herself so hard these past two weeks, having little to no regard for her own wellbeing.

"London, can we-"

The sniper shook her head and slid closer, extending her hand and pressing it to the woman's forehead with no concern about anything else. "Miranda you're actually really warm. You need to rest."

Lawson clenched her jaw, gently lifting her own hand to remove the others. "I'm fine. Can we _please _talk?"

"No," London finally said sternly, the look in her eye leaving no room for argument. "You've already told me what concerns you and what you need to function as a second in command. I've already set plans in motion to put your worry at ease about my training, so don't bother yourself about that anymore. As for you not being able to be a girlfriend and XO...I can't help you with that. What I _can _do," London continued, lifting her hands to cup Miranda's face so that the woman couldn't look away, "is make you realize that you look like _crap_. You should be sleeping. You need it. Tomorrow is a big day for you and you need to be able to do your tasks. Don't argue."

Lawson swallowed, a small self-conscious feeling starting to spark within. Never in her life had she been told that she looked bad. This was not a pleasantry, especially coming from the lips of this specific individual.

"When was the last time you slept properly?"

Miranda finally yielded, moving her face away from London's grip so that she could look at the woman correctly. "I can't remember. Maybe a week."

The sniper looked at the raven haired beauty in disbelief. "Why not? That's really not very healthy. How are you even upright right now?"

Rolling her eyes came as a natural response for Miranda, knowing well what is and what is not good for the human body. She could feel the toll that the lack of sleep had taken on her a long time ago, but was just never able to do anything about it. "I know. I just can't."

"You can't sleep?"

"At all."

"Why not?"

"There's just a lot on my mind," the XO replied truthfully, lowering her head into the palms of her hands. She rubbed her face tiredly, taking a moment to process before looking back up at London. It surprised Miranda to find the brunette suddenly standing in front of herself. "Uh?"

"Look," the dancer began softly. "I don't know what you want from me or for us. I don't even know if there's an _us _anymore. You seem to change your mind so frequently now a days that everything is just starting to blur and I can't tell what it is we're doing any more. But," she paused, sighing resignedly as she ran the back of her hand along Miranda's warm forehead, "together or not, I won't stand by and watch you bury yourself in a hole. There are a lot of things that I can't help you with, but I _can _help you fall asleep."

Miranda's eyes softened, slowly taking the offered hand before being led to London's bed. She knew she should have protested. If anything, Miranda knew that she didn't deserve this kindness right now. Yet the gentle pull of her hand, the warmth of the palm connecting to hers, the familiar crackle of energy that prickled the entirety of her body, and the twisting feeling deep within her tummy did nothing but egg her on. All of these things allowed the XO to be led to bed, to be silently undressed and helped into a large nightshirt, to be tucked under the soft, fluffy duvet.

London was slow to move after that. She was sure to message Kasumi and explain the situation before dressing herself in her own nightclothes, safe and out of view of Miranda. Upon returning to the XO, she noticed that Lawson was turned onto her side and self-consciously chewing on her lower lip apparently lost in thought.

"You're not allowed to think about work for the next eight hours."

"I'm not. I'm just thinking."

London laid out across her side of the bed after that, sure to keep on top of the covers rather than under them. Both women looked at each other, unable to break their gaze. Miranda wanted nothing more than to reach out and run her fingers through the mass of light brown curls but knew better than be hypocritical. It was her doing that caused this situation. If there was any hope of conversation, it would have be on London's terms and _without _making a move.

"...what are you thinking about?"

Miranda finally cracked a tiny smile at the opportunity she was given to speak, sad but sincere and thankful. "I'm thinking that I do this to myself all the time."

London's eyebrows furrowed at the sentence, not quite understanding what she was saying. "You deprive yourself of sleep?"

"No," the operative said, her smile getting bigger before falling from her lips completely. "I guess I'll have to explain that one..."

"It'd certainly help me understand."

"...when I was small I was taught to not linger on my dreams. There was no point in dwelling on them. I had a purpose and everything had already been laid out for me, but when you're a child you can't help your imagination. I would picture what it would be like to attend an actual school, dating, kissing a boy for the first time, and making friends. Then my eyes would open and I would realize that what I saw wasn't real. I realized the limits of my dreams. I know how painful dreams can be, because dreams soon become expectation. So I learned to not hope for what I cannot have. I do not wish to cling because the more you cling, the more you love them, the more pain you'll suffer when they're taken from you. I learned that lesson young. "

London nodded quietly, watching Miranda as she continued to speak, "I'm stupid to have told you what I did. It's bloody burned into my head that I can't have good things going for me because something terrible always comes out of it. I'm terrified," the XO finally said, her voice lowering to a hush. "I'm terrified of you, of having you. Of everything that could happen because of it..."

The sniper closed her eyes, "Please don't do this. I can't take any more of this run around Miranda. I'm not a toy, and when you say one thing then turn around and say something like this...it hurts. I don't know what to believe anymore."

"I know," the operative said quickly, eyes saddening. "I don't mean to do any of these things, but I always manage to shut myself off. I know I'm not a robot, but sometimes it feels like I'm bloody well programmed like one. I'm here because I don't _want _to be like this anymore. I _want _to change and be better."

"What are you so scared of," London asked, no longer able to keep at such a distance. Perhaps it was the way she looked in a nightshirt or the fragrance of her hair that mingled so perfectly with Miranda's natural perfume. She reached out a warm hand and caressed Miranda's cheek, scooting her body in so that they were in a more personal space. "I've told you that I would never hurt you, yet you seem to be the one that keeps pushing us apart."

"I know, and I've been thinking about it non-stop. I'm trying to rationalize my actions and make it so that I don't turn back...but I just can't. I'm making excuses when there is none. Jacob spoke to me briefly in my quarters. He had made a few comments that made me realize I'm lucky to have you here. I've been incredibly daft."

"Miranda," London began slowly, taking her hand back so that nothing was touching. She eyed the XO very seriously. "I don't think I can take any more hot and cold. So be honest with me and be honest with yourself. I'm going to give you the chance for an answer, but I swear that this will be the last. So tell me what is it that you want..."

"Everything." Coming from a family of such means, it surprised Miranda to find how much she had been denied in life, from both father and herself alike. Now that she was being honest, in truth Miranda found that what she finally wanted was...everything.

London sighed, not thrilled by the vague answer and growing ever so tired of the ups and down. Miranda scooted closer, forcing the younger woman to look back. Azure eyes danced with gray, "The very first day we met, we had glanced at each other on our trip back towards the Normandy. It was that look that hooked me. There was sadness in your eyes. Like me. We saw sadness in each other."

London looked away, "We were both unhappy."

"...and then it turned to love," Miranda said quietly, never taking her eyes away. "I've never felt what I feel with you, the happiness I have with you. And now I realize," she smiled, fingers gently taking London's chin, "I want everything, so long as its you I'm sharing it with."

The dancer's chest heaved, not wanting to let herself fall for such sweet words. There had been plenty of times this past week and a half that the operative said one thing then hurt her by doing another. What made this time any different? Nevertheless, London found her willpower slowly slipping away into nothingness. She allowed Miranda to inch forward and use her hand to travel the delicate features of her face and neck. The XO leaned in and placed her forehead against the others, the sweet scent of their breaths mingling in small distance between them. The dancer lifted the duvet to where she could slide herself in, slowly intertwining hers and Miranda's legs. Miranda closed her eyes as London wrapped her arms around the operative's neck and pulled the woman into a fierce embrace.

It was in this position that the second in command was finally able to rest, wrapped tightly chest to chest in the arms of the forgiving. Miranda knew there would be no chances after this. It was all or nothing; and Miranda was definitely in it for the long haul. She knew she needed to make that clear too; her words were becoming valueless. There were to many second guesses and turnarounds. She knew she would have to prove it and put aside all of her insecurities, and God did she want to prove it. She _wanted _to not only take London, but _be _Londons.

"London," the XO called out softly, pulling herself back just enough so that she could look at the brunette properly.

"Hm," came the simple reply. The concern was evident in the dancer's eyes, her orbs tracing over Miranda's face for any sign of discomfort or more second guesses.

"...make love with me..."

_[ End Chapter 30: Outcomes and Arrivals, Part II of II ]_

_A/N: I loved writing this chapter because I thought it was a great way to explore and compare Jack and Miranda. Both are so different yet if you really, really think about they're almost exactly alike. It's trippy!_

_I was going to go deeper into Jack's past, but that in itself is an entire new fan-fiction. I wanted to touch base with it, and will probably work a little more with it down the line. But for now...I think this worked nicely._

_Anyways! Thoughts? Comments? Reviews? Assuming direct control?_


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